A Matter of Perspective
by Isolation and Tea
Summary: Alternate Universe. What was the point in trying to be good when I was destined to end the world? Raven takes a different path once she makes it to Earth.
1. Ch 1 Luck

_**Disclaimer:**_ If I owned the Teen titans, chances are I wouldn't be writing fan fiction about it.

_**A Matter of Perspective**_  
_by: Eternity Bites_  
Chapter 1 - Luck

Luck, I thought, was all a matter of perspective. The only good thing that happened to me in all of my time on earth was completely by chance. I was found one night by the hive and they took me back to the H.A.E.Y.P. It was the luckiest thing that had ever happened to me. Finally there was a place I wouldn't be looked at oddly, a place where metahumans weren't 'freaks'. Luck, as I said is all a matter of perspective. I imagine the titans didn't find my addition to the Hive academy a lucky thing.

--

My first day at the academy was predictable. Everyone was trying to pull a fast one on the new kid but most gave up quickly, after eliciting no response. I had breezed through all my morning classes because my love of books gave me a lot of knowledge. My hood covering my face, I silently made my way to the cafeteria. After getting my food I sat down at an empty table and pulled out a thick spell book written in azarathean. I was flipping through the pages when I was interrupted.

"Hey Newbie, that's our table." A nasally voice sneered behind me.

As I turned from my volume I noticed that the lunch room had suddenly gone silent. No one wanted to miss a minute of the action I guessed. I looked at the three in front of me. These must be the criminal gang I once saw on the news. What had been they're names? Ah yes, Gizmo, Mammoth, and Jinx.

Gizmo, the boy who had talked to me, was hovering a few feet above the ground courtesy of the backpack he was wearing. He was a small, bald boy in a green jump suit. Next to him was a girl of average size with bright pink hair. Jinx's locks were pulled up into two horns and her rose coloured cat eyes were in slits. Standing behind her was a large teen. Mammoth was aptly named. He stood, towering above many in the cafeteria glaring down at me. He had hair covering most of his face.

"Hey we're talking to you!" Mammoth's harsh voice bellowed.

"Yes?" I asked in my signature monotone.

"You're sitting at our table." Jinx said in a dangerous voice.

"I heard you the first time." I told her without a hint of emotion in my voice.

"So why aren't you moving skud ball? You got sludge for brains?" Gizmo asked me.

"One, skud isn't a word," The entire academy was looking at me now, as if I had a death wish. I imagined it wasn't common for anyone to stand up these three. "And two, I think you're going to need to get a new table."

They looked at me confusedly before jumping slightly when the table collapsed on account of its missing legs. I grabbed my book and got up silently. Mammoth looked as he was about to charge at me but Jinx put up one hand to stop him.

"Don't bother." Jinx told them and shook her head slightly. "Let's just see how she does in combat practice."

The large teen pouted but complied. Amusement sparked in my eyes as I made my way to my dorm to meditate. The team was probably going to pull some complex manoeuvre, hoping they'd be able to make me look incompetent and unqualified for the academy. If I could laugh I probably would have. Let them think they're smart, I thought to myself.

--

My suspicions proved to be true. We stood atop a large hexagonal pillar at the beginning of combat practice and as soon as the starting buzzer went Jinx yelled to Gizmo and Mammoth to perform the Alpha manoeuvre. I rolled my eyes from underneath my hood. I had already picked it from Jinx's head and found a hole that I could slide into easily.

The course didn't prove to be much of a challenge to my powers. I fought effortlessly alongside Jinx, Mammoth, and Gizmo. The trio seemed a bit shocked to see that I had fluidly entered myself into the pattern. We passed the finish line and the headmistress descended upon us. She was clapping in a slow manner.

"Good job." The headmistress said in a flat voice.

"Raven?" I looked up, seemingly uninterested, as the headmistress called on me.

"Meet Jinx, Gizmo, and Mammoth. They are the Hives top students." She told me.

"We've met." I deadpanned.

"Very well, I will leave you four to get acquainted." With that said the headmistress left.

I turned to look at the Hives top students. They were all glaring openly at me. First I had stood up to them in front of their peers and then I stole their lunch table. They obviously hated me. I let out a small sigh before starting.

"I do not care what the headmistress said; I have no desire to become acquainted with anyone. You all dislike me and I couldn't care less." I told them impassively.

"Is that your only expression?" Jinx said incisively as I turned to walk away.

Looking over my shoulder I told her yes in a flat voice and left the room.

--

The next few weeks passed by quickly. I trained with Jinx, Gizmo, and Mammoth and that was the only interaction I had with them. I had taken to spending lunch in my room where I could meditate or read in peace. I excelled in all my classes and found myself quickly growing bored, well more bored than usual.

It was on that day that I was cornered by the HTS (the Hive Top Students as I had taken to calling them) in the hallway.

"Hey there birdie." Mammoth said, towering over me.

Jinx reached behind her and whipped something out in an exaggerated gesture. I looked at the device she held in her hand. It was a honeycomb shaped communicator. Jinx threw it to me and I plucked it out of the air easily.

"Congratulations. You've proved your worth. Welcome to the team." Jinx told me.

"Thanks." I said nodding my head slightly.

"There's a briefing in my room tonight, got it pie head? Don't be late." Gizmo told me, clearly sore about my being let on the team.

I raised an eyebrow but of course they couldn't see it with my midnight blue cloak covering my eyes. "I'll be there." I told them apathetically. "Now if you don't mind, I have to go study for my theorem of mayhem test."

As I walked off toward my room I granted myself a small smile. I was finally a part of a team, accepted. Hopefully it would be more exciting than laying about my room. I read up on my new team members after I was in the safety of my room. They seemed to enjoy robbing banks and jewellery stores. I sighed quietly. At least I'll get out of the academy, I thought to myself.

--

The plan was extremely simple. I teleport the four of us to the Jump city bank and Gizmo disables the security. I could see about a dozen ways our plot could go wrong but felt it better not to speak up. I didn't need to be an empath to know that Gizmo didn't like or trust me. I felt it best not to push him over the edge by pointing out the flaws.

A giant black bird emerged from the floor and left to reveal Jinx, Gizmo, Mammoth, and I right inside the security room.

"Nice driving." Jinx told me. I acknowledged her compliment only with a nod of my head.

By now Gizmo had made his way over to the bank's computer and was hacking into it easily.

"Gizmo, are you in yet?" Jinx asked rather impatiently and Gizmo snorted.

"Yeah these pit-sniffers have no idea what they're doing. It's almost like they want to have all their goods lifted from them." Gizmo said sneering in his whiny voice.

"Alright Team Hive, rob 'em blind." Jinx said and we sprang into action.

I moved up to a stack of golden bars and after muttering my mantra a few million dollars worth of gold disappeared in a flash of black. I moved over to where my teammates were working and soon their piles were back in the dorms as well.

I was preparing to teleport the four of us back to the academy when the wall behind us was blasted apart. Knowing instinctively that it would be the Teen titans I swept myself into the shadows where I could see without being seen as I was instructed to do earlier. My squad opted for my entrance to be more on the dramatic side. It seemed they were very into theatrics.

"Welcome titans." Jinx said in a voice sounding a lot like a purr. "We've been hoping you would drop by."

"Cut to the chase Jinx, what do you want?" Robin, their leader, said in a brusque tone.

"Titans, meet Raven." Jinx said with a flourish and a bow.

I took that as my cue and phased into the floor, emerging a few feet in front of them. The green boy, Beast boy was his name if I remember correctly, jumped about three feet into the air and let out a high pitched squeal. Behind me I could hear Jinx, Mammoth, and Gizmo laughing hysterically. My face was still in its emotionless mask as I stared down their leader.

"You must be Boy Blunder." I said in a bored tone. It must have set him off because quite suddenly they all bounded into battle at his cry.

"Azarath Mentrion Zinthos." I said in a soft voice that was full of power and we all disappeared into floor, leaving what I imagined to be four very stumped titans.

...

_Reviews? Check out my page for pairing poll. Thanks_


	2. Ch 2 Bad

_**Disclaimer: **_If I owned the Teen titans, chances are I wouldn't be writing fan fiction about it.

_**A Matter of Perspective  
**__Chapter Two - Bad_  
by: Eternity Bites

Bad was also a matter of perspective I found. To myself, I wasn't a bad person. I mean, yes I stole but only because it was a necessity. I didn't go around trying to murder and hurt people and I only stole what I needed. An example was the gold I had stole from the Jump city bank. I needed it to pay for food and other essentials. I also needed it to pass my robbery 20 class. Without it I would fail and forced back onto the streets. The titans however, viewed me as evil; something to be stopped. I wasn't a person to them; I was merely a criminal, a bad person. They knew nothing of me or my circumstances but they hated me. To the Teen titans, I was bad.

--

I had just delivered us back to Gizmo's room. Jinx was splitting our haul into four piles while the rest of us were sitting on various surfaces or, in my case, floating. I noticed that one of the piles was twice as small as the other three, but felt it best not to say anything. We sat for a few more minutes, with Mammoth and Gizmo talked excitedly to one another beside me before Jinx turned to address us.

"Okay we'll be splittin' the loot 30/30/30/10. Raven, you get the smaller cut. It is after all your first mission." Jinx said in a voice that dared me to argue.

"Fair enough." I said without a hint of feeling.

In all reality it wasn't fair. I thought that they might have begun to think of me as a friend. I had, after all, ensured the success of the mission. If their files were anything to go by the team had only a few victories compared to their many exploits. I started to feel as if the hive didn't even want me on their team that much. They only wanted me for my powers and a chance to tick off the Teen titans. I wanted to belong to a team, but did I want it this badly?

--

I was sitting with the rest of the team in the lounge. Gizmo and Mammoth were playing on the game station that Gizmo had hooked up to the plasma screen. Jinx was nearby, bragging to a girl named Bumblebee about last night's heist. I was sitting in a secluded corner of the room doing my best to meditate through the noise. I was floating a few feet off the ground with my eyes closed, chanting my mantra as I felt a presence in front of me. I opened my amethyst eyes to see Mammoth's bulk standing in front of me.

"Hey Birdie?" Mammoth asked me as I gazed at him. Had it been anyone else to have called me that they would have been able to tell you first-hand what hell looked like but since I actually wanted a group of people to accept me I let it slide.

"Yes Mammoth?" I asked in a droll monotone.

Just as he was about to answer me Gizmo flew over. "Hey Raven, come get pizza with us."

It seemed like more of an order than a question but I ignored it. The three were headed towards the door so I floated after them, the frown on my face lightening a tiny bit that they thought of including me. Maybe I had been wrong with my earlier assumption.

--

A few days later I decided to actually spend lunch in the cafeteria with the rest of the academy. My eyes scanned the room, filing away every little detail. After a month or so of attending I knew most of the student's names and a handful of those teen's powers. I discovered that most of them were like me; cast out of their homes and shunned from society because they were different.

I was about to go back to my dusty tome, trying to ignore Gizmo and Mammoth's fighting, when I saw a male sitting alone in the shadows. I never much cared about being polite or for the rules that governed high school but I found that I could sympathize with the boy. If I hadn't stood up to the HTS I would have been a forgotten shadow in the corner as well. Picking up my book, and ignoring my teammate's looks I pulled up my hood, walked over to the table where he was sitting and sat beside him.

He glanced up and looked at me, clearly confused. I nodded my head, almost imperceptibly and opened my book to the page I had left off on. I had only been reading for a few minutes when a piece of notebook paper was slid in front of me. Slightly frustrated at being interrupted I quickly snatched the paper up.

"_**Any particular reason you chose to sit by me?"**_

I looked up at my companion and saw that I had a much better view than the one from across the cafeteria. The boy had pale grey skin, bordering on blue and deep crimson eyes. He was wearing a long black cape and his head was covered by a head piece similar to that of Batman.

"Do you mind?" I asked out loud in a flat tone. He shook his head no.

"I'm Raven, and you are?" I asked maintaining my emotionless mask but I couldn't help but let curiosity colour my tone. The boy held up one finger to symbolize that he wanted me to wait a moment. Grabbing the paper back from my hands he pulled out a pen and wrote something down. I took the sheet when he offered it to me.

"_**Kyd Wykkyd."**_

I regarded him for a moment before asking if he was mute. Receiving a positive answer to my query I held up one hand similar to what Kyd Wykkyd had done only moments ago. I closed my eyes and softly chanted my mantra.

"_Better, can you hear me?"_

Kyd Wykkyd looked around bewilderedly for a moment before looking at me inquisitively.

"_**Are you in my head?"**_

"_Not precisely. I am not in your mind, just as you are not in mine. For me to hear your thoughts you have to direct them at me. Does that make sense?"_

Kyd Wykkyd nodded and looked at me up and down as if trying to solve some great mystery. Finding no answer to his questions he directed them at me.

"_**I don't mean to be rude, but I repeat, why are you sitting with me?"**_

"_I know what it's like to live in the shadows, to live alone, cast out because you're dark or 'creepy'."_

He seemed to accept my answer, not suspecting any ulterior motives.

"_**Aren't you part of Team Hive?"**_

I was thrown off slightly but did my best not to show it. I looked at him strangely but answered the question none-the-less.

"_Yes, but they don't really treat me as a person. They see me as a weapon or an asset. I feel that's how everyone thinks of anyone here, as something to be used."_

"_**If you don't like how they treat you, why do you hang out with them? If you don't mind my asking."**_

"_Even though I may be creepy or dark it's still nice to have friends. No matter what anybody says, everyone wants to be accepted in one way or another."_

"_**Well I see you as a person, if that helps."**_

"_Thanks, I see you as one to."_

We both seemed content to leave it at that and I was about to open up my book again when a very upset pink haired sorceress marched up in front of me, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Yes Jinx?" I asked in dull tone.

"We're having a briefing in Gizmo's room in ten minutes. Hurry up!" Jinx said impatiently and roughly yanked me from my seat.

"Come on!" She demanded again angrily and started dragging me away when she saw I made no move to hasten my actions.

I didn't spare a glance back at Kyd as I left the room but I could tell he understood what I had just said about being an object to these people. It wasn't long until he mentally voiced his understanding as well.

"_**I see what you mean. If you ever want to talk, well not really 'talk' but..."**_

"_I know what you mean, and thanks."_

...

_Review please? And go to my page to vote for who Raven should end up with, Robin or Kyd Wykkyd._


	3. Ch 3 Loyalty

_**Disclaimer: **_If I owned the Teen titans, chances are I wouldn't be writing fan fiction about it.

_**A Matter of Perspective  
**__Chapter Three - Loyalty_  
by: Eternity Bites

Loyalty is defined as faithfulness to any leader, party, or cause, or to any person or thing conceived as deserving fidelity. It can be construed two ways. To team Hive my sitting with another person in the cafeteria was a blatant show of disloyalty, and worst of all I did it right in front of all of their peers. I, however, didn't view it as so. I thought that I could try to be nice to someone who looked excluded and lonely, I feeling I knew intimately. Apparently here things like that look suspicious and people think you have an ulterior motive. I had no ideas of taking advantages of any of the academies students but apparently that didn't matter. The only thing that mattered to each and every member of H.A.E.Y.P was their selves.

--

Jinx simmered the entire way to Gizmo's room. I didn't remember any of them mentioning a team meeting so I followed her curiously. We stopped in front of a now familiar door and Jinx knocked loudly. Moments later Gizmo appeared grumbling and let us in. I raised an eyebrow underneath my cowl but didn't say anything. What was with everybody? They had all seemed fine when I left them. Jinx stopped in front of a chair and I sat down because that seemed to be what she wanted me to do. All three of them were standing now in my direct line of vision. I looked up at them, bored, and waited for them to begin.

"What was that, you crud-muncher?" Gizmo exploded and I looked over at him questionably, even though it didn't show.

"What was what?" I said sounding bored out of my mind of the situation.

"You totally ditched us in the cafeteria, right in front of everyone!" Jinx shouted at me.

I was confused and for once it actually showed on my face. Luckily confusion wasn't a passionate emotion and nothing exploded. I shook my head slowly and looked back at them.

"What do you mean? All I did was sit with some other person." I tried to placate them but it was, as always, a failed attempt. Not being able to show emotion can really hinder that sort of thing.

"Yes, but you're a part of _Team Hive._ That means coming to meetings, partaking in missions, and eating with us. We have to show everyone that we are a force to be reckoned with, that _together_ we can accomplish anything. If one of our members is off chatting up somebody then our credibility goes down. Do you understand?" Jinx explained this to me as if I were a child who wouldn't share a toy with another kid.

"I understand." I said in an empty voice. I nodded along with my statement, but only to calm them down.

"Good now, pay attention folks. Head Mistress wants us rob the museum..." Jinx's voice droned on but I tuned it out. I could easily pick up the plan later.

I was lying when I told Jinx that I understood all she said. In all honesty I couldn't comprehend her logic. I had merely sat with another person and it was viewed a betrayal to my team. I wondered if everyone else here thought the same way. Maybe it was my point of view that was off, not theirs. Maybe I wasn't as wicked as I thought. And maybe I wasn't really cut out to be a villainess?

--

Later that night I was meditating in my room, trying to sort out the days happenings. Some of it still didn't make sense to me but I decided that I would honour what Jinx said. I wouldn't sit with Kyd Wykkyd but that didn't mean that I wouldn't talk to him, figuratively of course. I had just come to my conclusion when a knock started ringing through my room. I got up irritably, ready to send away whoever it was. I opened up the door and was about to yell at whoever had decided to interrupt my meditation, when I came face to face with Kyd Wykkyd.

"Kyd Wykkyd? What are you doing here?" I asked out loud, managing to sound only a little bit shocked.

Kyd gave me an awkward smile and an embarrassed half-wave. He gestured to my head and back to his. I looked at him curiously but tried my best to decipher what he said.

"You want to know if we can talk...?" I asked hesitantly, trying to understand what he was trying to tell me.

He nodded and tapped the side of his head. I finally understood what he was trying to say.

"One second." I told him and closed my eyes. I focused on the boy in front of me and felt the connection open.

"Try now." I said.

"_**That's better. Do I have to be near you to hear you like this?"**_

"No, if you just focus on me in your mind it'll open up the ahh, I guess you could call it a chat room." I told Kyd, still speaking normally.

I stepped back from door and opened it up a little further, inviting him in.

"Consider yourself privileged, very few enter my room and live." I said solemnly.

Kyd cautiously entered my room and I closed the door with a loud bang behind him.

Outside the hall a green camera-bot beeped and scurried away with its footage.

...

_Review, please? Also tell me who you think Raven should ultimately end up with, Kyd Wykkyd or Robin, in either a review or by voting in the poll on my page._


	4. Ch 4 Cruel

_**Disclaimer: **_If I owned the Teen titans, chances are I wouldn't be writing fan fiction about it.

_**A Matter of Perspective  
**__Chapter Four - Cruel_  
by: Eternity Bites

Seneca said "All cruelty springs from hardheartedness and weakness." Cruelty seemed to be another one of those terms that were a matter of perspective. Most people at the H.A.E.Y.P viewed me as a cruel, heartless witch. They thought that because I didn't try to speak with them or suck up to those who were more 'popular' they thought I was a snob, thought of them as unworthy of my time, cruel. I, of course, didn't view myself as such. I had never gone out of my way to be deliberately hateful and it wasn't for lack of want that I didn't display emotion. To do so would surely kill half of Jump city. I however, thought of them as cruel. They had no qualms of destroying whole cities with clichéd doomsday devices, murdering thousands of innocents, or kidnapping people to hold them for ransom. I knew that I was above that, and I thought that my fellow team Hive members were to. It seemed however, that I was wrong.

--

Kyd Wykkyd and I 'talked' for a solid two hours, well he thought and I talked. Kyd Wykkyd was a great listener. For some strange reason his presence in my room didn't bother me as much as it normally would've. I assumed that it was because he fit in flawlessly with the doom of gloom of my decor.

We talked about a multitude of things. Mostly we talked about favourites. Favourite books, favourite movies, favourite colour and so on. If you can name it, we discussed it. We both seemed to clam up when the subject of our pasts would arise though. Now although I had to admit that I was curious as to why he was mute I wouldn't ask. I understood what it felt like to have people pry into your past, so I restrained myself.

Kyd was telling me about his first day at the academy when we were interrupted by the insistent ringing of my communicator. I let out a small frustrated sigh and grabbed the black aura encased device out of the air. I flipped it open and looked at the screen, looking for all appearances bored with life itself.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Hey pit-sniffer WHERE ARE YOU?! We have to go over the plan for the museum heist, GET DOWN HERE!" Gizmo's whiny voice shouted at me.

I closed the communicator after telling Gizmo I would be there shortly. I let out a disappointed sigh. The pint-sized genius was back to calling me names. Just when they were beginning to accept me I had to go and mess it up by being nice. Idiot, I chastised myself, you're at a school for criminals, you aren't here to be nice. I stared desolately at my communicator. Why couldn't I do anything right? I was I destined to live life as a loner? I was roused from my thoughts by Kyd Wykkyd.

"_**Raven?" **_Kyd Wykkyd asked me hesitantly, his eyes full of questions. _**"Are you alright?"**_

"I'm fine." I replied in a bland monotone. I turned to face Kyd and looked into his bright crimson eyes.

"Kyd, we can't be seen together anymore." I told him regretfully.

I was looking at him when I said it so I saw the shock and hurt flash across Kyd's face before he turned away.

"We can still talk, whenever you want to." I told him, trying to soften the blow.

"_**Why do you care so much about what these people think? You said yourself that they're just using you." **_Kyd Wykkyd asked his mental voice confused and outraged.

"I just-"I faltered for a moment, my guard dropping. Outside I heard a few light bulbs shattered and I fought for control. "I just wanted to be accepted for once." My eyes pleading for him to understand.

"_**Somebody already has accepted you."**_ Kyd told me sadly before disappearing in a swirl of black.

A rogue tear cascaded down my face and I hurried to wipe it away, willing no more to fall. I had just managed to alienate the only friend I had at this wretched place. I managed to pull on an emotionless mask and I hurried on my way to Gizmo's room, ignoring the unusual darkness of the hallway.

--

I entered Gizmo's room and was immediately on guard. The room was shrouded in shadow and it was quiet as a tomb. I floated silently around the small apartment, my hands encased in black magic. I heard the faint flick of a switch and found myself in a blinding spot light.

I closed my eyes to try and calm myself. I was in no mood to be toyed with, especially after my recent fight with Kyd Wykkyd. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. I looked to where I knew the three of them were standing and glared.

"I have very little tolerance for games." I told them, trying to speak evenly. "Are we going over the plan or not?"

"Not scum bucket." Gizmo's loud, nasally voice told me.

I let out an impatient sigh and I glowered in Gizmo's general direction.

"Can I go then? I need to meditate." I told him testily.

"There's been a change of plans." Jinx said in a voice remarkably sounding like a purr as she stalked out of the shadows, along with Mammoth and Gizmo. "Your loyalty is being called into question."

"Do you have any proof of my 'betrayal'?" I asked, putting quotations around the word betrayal.

Jinx grinned smugly. The television in front of me flickered and came to life. On it was a video of me inviting Kyd Wykkyd into my room, over and over again.

"So?" I asked tonelessly seemingly undaunted. On the inside however I was worried. I had already lost one friend today and I'd like to try and keep the rest.

"You're divulging team secrets to the competition!" Jinx shouted, getting right in my face.

I let out a weary sigh. Today was just not my day. I was about to explain what Kyd and I had been doing but didn't get the chance because Jinx started talking again.

"Moving on." Jinx said, trying to calm herself. "There are three children currently staying at the titan's tower."

The screen's image changed to that of three children. There was a one girl and two boys. The girl was wearing a pink and white outfit, had to blonde pigtails, baby blue eyes, and she was holding the hand of someone invisible. The older of the two boys had bright orange hair, a bright yellow and red jumpsuit, and was holding a blue blanket in his hands. The last one looked similar to whom I guessed was his older sister. He had the same blonde hair and blue eyes and was sucking on his thumb.

"What about them?" I asked blandly.

"It's quite simply really." Jinx started but Gizmo cut her off.

"Yeah, even a sludge-for-brains, crud-munching idiot like you could understand it." Gizmo told me.

"As I was saying," Jinx started, pausing briefly to glare at Gizmo. "In order to regain our trust and prove yourself loyal to the team we want you to bring us those kids."

...

_Okay a few things:  
1. I have absolutely nothing against Jinx and the Hive. I know she seems kind of bitchy but I need it in order to achieve the stories ultimate goal.  
2. Raven will ultimately end up with somebody. Thats the way I am. Go to my page to vote and if you select other a comment detailing who and why you chose that person whould be appriciated.  
3. Like always, review please. They inspire me. _


	5. Ch 5 Courage

_**Disclaimer: **_If I owned the Teen titans, chances are I wouldn't be writing fan fiction about it.

_**A Matter of Perspective  
**__Chapter Five – Coward_  
by: Eternity Bites

To be a coward is to turn tail and run when things got bad. I knew that I was a coward. The moment I was faced with a question I couldn't find the correct answer to I bolted. Thieves were generally thought of as a cowardly bunch. I was a prime example of that stereotype. I wasn't a coward for not wanting to take those kids, well at least not to myself. I was spineless for not having the guts to stand up to Jinx, Gizmo, and Mammoth and tell them I wouldn't do it. I was as bad as the heroines of books who ran away from their troubles. I absolutely loathed that approach to solving problems, but here I was imitating them.

--

I just barely managed to keep the shock and horror of my face. Had I not been as disciplined there was no doubt in my mind that my true feelings would've showed. As it was I was just able to keep my emotionless mask up.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," I started, struggling to keep up my usual monotone. "But you want me to abduct a bunch of kids?"

"What? Is it too complex for your tiny crud-filled brain?" Gizmo sneered. Jinx whacked Gizmo upside the head and he glared at her.

"She was just asking for verification you idiot. But to answer your question, that is exactly what we want you to do." Jinx said, smiling maliciously.

"I take it that the museum heist has been postponed then?" I asked.

"Yes." Jinx nodded. "You're dismissed."

I left the room promptly. I wandered about the dim hallways (it seemed that the lights were yet to be fixed) trying to think. I knew that I wanted to be accepted by the Hive, but did I want it this badly? Was I willing to kidnap three innocent children? Hand over their lives to the academy and its questionable morals? Did I want to be responsible for how they turned out? My mind answered all of those questions with a resounding no!

Then another question came to mind, what would Kyd think? I was somewhat surprised to find that the answer was important to me. Somehow what this boy thought of me had become increasingly important, even though I had only known him for a day or so.

Suddenly I no longer cared that one day I would destroy the world. I was tired of all the stealing, lying, and hate. This wasn't me. As much I wanted to fit in I wouldn't go against the few morals I had. I may be part-demon, I decided, but that didn't mean I had to be evil.

As I was just finishing my silent conversations I found myself in front of my room. Keying in the pass code I entered and headed straight for the closet. My mind was already made up. I pulled out my duffel bag and began placing all of my possessions inside. The one good thing about having no concrete place to live was you could carry all of your stuff easily.

I changed out of my costume and pulled out one of my casual outfits. I quickly pulled on some charcoal skinny jeans, a plain dark purple shirt, and a simple black hoodie. My regular shoes unfortunately didn't match my current outfit so they too came off. They were replaced with a pair of bland onyx tennis shoes.

Once I had finished packing I did a quick sweep of the room to see if I forgot anything. A glint of silver caught my eye and I turned to look at the desk. Sitting atop it was a metallic card. Upon a closer look I saw that the word _Sorry_ was etched on the front. Kyd Wykkyd. What was I going to do about him? I instinctively knew that if I were to leave everyone would come after me. After all, I knew every one of their secrets.

I sat heavily on the bed and opened up my luggage. I sifted through it until I found one of my notebooks. I flipped it open to the back and tore out a piece. Rummaging through the bag I found a pencil and scrawled a quick goodbye, vaguely outlining my reasons for leaving and folded the page. Collecting all of my stuff I teleported to Kyd's room, left my note and disappeared. From the roof you could see a giant black raven soar away.

--

Feet pounded against concrete in a fast beat. He was running. He blindly ran around a corner and found himself in a dead end alley. The only sounds to be heard were his deep ragged breathes. In the distance one could make out the faint sounds of a siren. When it finally faded completely he let out a deep breath. He brought the bag up to his face. He opened it and stared, transfixed by the jewels he had managed to steal.

He closed the bag and looked up. Letting out a loud shriek, he backed into the wall behind him. He spun away and attempted to run past the figure that had appeared out of nowhere in front of him. He then found himself falling heavily to the ground, an unseen force holding him down.

"Who- who- who are you?" He asked in a shaky voice, eyes wide with fear.

"The Raven." The cloaked person said simply. It was the last thing he heard before losing consciousness.

Shortly after an anonymous tip the police and the titans arrived on the scene to find the jewel thief tied to a street lamp. On his lap sat a sack full of gems and a business card with a picture of a raven on it.

...

_Review? And if you haven't, please go to my page to vote for who Raven should end up with._


	6. Ch 6 Lonely

_**Disclaimer: **_If I owned the Teen titans, chances are I wouldn't be writing fan fiction about it.

_**A Matter of Perspective  
**__Chapter Six – Lonely_  
by: Eternity Bites

I had always been a solitary person. I enjoyed doing solo activities such as reading and mediation, but now that I had known what it was like to have friends I found myself truly lonely. The Hive may not have been perfect but at least they were there to talk to if I ever needed it. I never really knew how much I enjoyed having company until I didn't have it anymore. It made me think of what Ronald Anthony once said, "When we truly realize we are all alone is when we need others the most." I had never truly realized I was alone. I had only thought of it as solitude. It seemed that loneliness could be perceived many ways.

--

I heard a rat scamper across the floor and I scowled in its direction. It had been two weeks since I had left the Hive. I was staying the bell tower of an abandoned church. The entire structure was crumbling and the walls were a faded gray. The bell itself was still hanging but the copper after being in contact with the air so long had started to turn a green color.

The church was in one of the worst districts in town. Most of the houses were run down. From my perch I could make out broken windows and shingle-less roofs. I let out a frustrated sigh. I was getting tired of this place. I'll admit that it was a great place to meditate but I found myself feeling lonely. I had tried to communicate with a Kyd Wykkyd a few times but he didn't reply.

For the first time in my life I wasn't miserable, so what did I have to do? I had to go change that because I, Raven of Azarath, was not allowed to be happy. I grumbled to myself, my face emotionless as always and went over the night's proceedings.

I had finally made good on the promise to myself and switched sides. I stopped someone who a few weeks ago I would've been aiding. I made sure to make a lasting impression as well. Let the man think he's safe then appear from the shadows. Who did I think I was, Batman?

I let out a small sigh than pulled my hood over my face. I floated to the top of the steeple and stood on the point, overlooking some of the city. I looked into the dark, starless sky then dived off the building. The night wasn't yet done so obviously, neither were the criminals.

--

It had been about a month since my first appearance as The Raven. In the first week my name was spoken with amusement, as if I were a joke, but now I was whispered about in reverence and fear. Criminals cowered at the sight of my implacable face. They still fought but bit by bit fear consumed them and made them sloppy and I took them down.

As soon as the press had gotten wind of my existence it was a media circus. I'd be tying up some petty thief when some amateur photographer would try to take my picture. So far none of them had succeeded. Let's just say they all needed new cameras.

Kyd Wykkyd never replied so after the third week I stopped trying. He obviously didn't want to talk to me. On the one hand I secretly mourned the loss of his friendship but on the other hand I was pissed. Fortunately I had a safe outlet for all this extra anger. Unfortunately I had to meditate longer to keep my rage under control.

--

I let out a huge sigh of irritation. This guy just wouldn't give up. Dr. Light and I had been trading blows for the better part of an hour and I was getting frustrated. This man was nothing more than a loser with a tricked out suit and I wasn't kicking his ass. Granted I wasn't losing, but still this should have been over thirty minutes ago.

It took another ten minutes and a guest appearance from my demon side to finally subdue him. Much too long, I thought as I was tying him up. The titans would be here soon and I needed to get as far away as possible. I finished my navy-level knots and began to flee the scene.

"Hold it right there!" A voice commanded behind me before I had taken my first step.

I turned around and looked emotionlessly at the titans, my cowl shrouding most of my face in shadow. I cast quick glances around at my surroundings, estimating my chances of escape. I was about to start chanting my mantra to teleport me back to the church when I was cut off.

"Who are you?" Robin demanded irritably.

"The Raven." I answered simply, in hopes of frustrating him further.

"What do you want?" He asked annoyed by my obvious response.

I raised an eyebrow but it went unnoticed by the four of them because of the hood covering half my face.

"Isn't obvious?" I asked trying to egg him on further.

"Why on earth are you in our town?" Robin exploded?

"Ahh Boy Blunder, it's nice to see you again too. Did you miss me?" I asked allowing the hint of smile to grace my face.

...

_Just a few things here  
1. I don't hold chapters for ransom, but some reviews would be nice. I know there are lots of you reading this story so some feedback would be appreciated or I'm going to feel as if you don't care if I finish this  
2. It would also be great if you voted in the poll on my page. It will decide who Raven ends up with.  
Thanks!_


	7. Ch 7 Team

_**Disclaimer: **_If I owned the Teen titans, chances are I wouldn't be writing fan fiction about it.

_**A Matter of Perspective  
**__Chapter seven - Team_  
by: Eternity Bites

Before coming to Jump City I had thought teammates were basically groups of friends who banded together for a purpose or cause. I hadn't thought of it as a power struggle. It wasn't until I joined the Hive did I understand what being on a team really meant. It meant following orders without question and if you're in trouble, good luck. Seeing the titans work together confused me though. Whenever they saw one of their partners in trouble they dropped the enemy they were fighting and ran off to help them. It made me wonder if the definition of team all depended on a person's perspective.

---

"Wait, wait, wait, Robin you know her? How do you know her? Who is she?" Beast Boy asked waving his arms in the air, completely puzzled.

"I have no idea." Robin revealed reluctantly.

The four of them continued to argue with themselves for a few minutes, hypothesizing. I thought of leaving but I hadn't talked to anybody in a long time. Besides they were most amusing to watch. I cleared my throat and gained their attention.

"You all want to try and guess, or do you want me to tell you?" I asked, bored.

The green boy immediately started writing on a black board (I have no idea where he got it) guessing I was from some other dimension and I was here to take over earth. I almost choked on my own spit at his accuracy, but I managed to keep collected. Robin and Cyborg were glaring at the changeling and he shrunk back, his black board magically disappearing.

"Who are you?" Robin demanded again.

"You don't remember? I'm hurt. Try thinking back a few months." I told them patiently, seeing as I had nowhere else to be.

Bird boy was the first to remember and whipped his masked eyes up to meet my impassive ones. His eyes narrowed so much that only a slit of white could be seen. I raised an eyebrow in an amused fashion.

"Raven." Robin said my name with malice and suspicion. The rest of his crew looked repeatedly between us. As the last piece fit into the puzzle they all took defensive stances.

"If I had any intention of fighting you, I would have done it when you were preoccupied." I told them in flat voice.

Robin looked like he was about to argue but he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. I looked behind him and saw the alien girl, Starfire. He turned round and the four of them huddled together. By reading their emotions I could tell they were wondering whether or not to arrest me. Since I was not interested in spending any amount of time in jail I turned and started down the street, besides I thought I heard an alarm that needed tending to.

When they turned around I was already gone. Shortly after they got a call from the police asking about a foiled bank robbery.

---

_That was to close, much to close._

When I arrived on the scene I found some lowly bank robber and made quick work of him. I was so worried about getting out of there that I got sloppy. The man was able to fire off a shot before I disarmed him. Fortunately that left me an opening so I briskly knocked him out, unfortunately his bullet connected with my leg.

I tied him up and ran into the nearest drug store. I pulled out the money I kept on my person and bought a basic first aid kit. I didn't really need it but I was losing my strength. I used what was left of my energy and teleported to the church tower. Once there I pulled the bullet out of my leg and quickly wrapped it. Right after I slipped into a blissful unconscious state.

---

I awoke to a beeping noise and was immediately on guard. It was obvious I was no longer in the church and if the smell was anything to go by, then I was in a hospital or a sick bay. Now the question was how I got here. The only plausible sounding answer, at least to me, was that I was in titan's tower.

I let out a quiet sigh, trying not to alert them that I was awake. I was bombarded with worry from the solitary figure in the corner of the room. I assumed that it was the alien because I noticed that her emotions were stronger than her teammates.

Since I answered that question I only had a few left. One of them was how they found me, but it probably wasn't hard. I imagine I left a nice little blood trail for them to follow. Speaking of blood and wounds I felt something constricting around my leg and guessed that one of the titans had bandaged my thigh.

Now the million dollar question was why did they bring me back to the tower? They could've just as easily left me or thrown me in jail. It didn't make much sense. I could easily rummage through one of their minds and be on my way but, as much as it pained me to say it, I was still tired.

Slowly I opened my eyes and sat up. The girl in the corners worry instantly disappeared and was replaced with joy and relief. To say I was puzzled would be a gross understatement. I couldn't fathom why she was so worried about me but that was a mystery for another time.

"Glorious!" The girl, whose name I remembered was Starfire, shouted. "You have awoken. I shall call on Robin."

With that said she floated off to go fetch their leader and I imagine the rest of the titans as well. Taking advantage of her absence I sat up in a more comfortable position and checked over my injury. As I suspected the hole had closed leaving only a faded scar.

Just as I finished taking off the bandages the titans burst into the room. Cyborg saw what I was doing and immediately rushed over.

"Don't take those off. You could get a serious infection." Cyborg said in a warning tone.

"The gash is already gone. You can check for yourself" I said, seeing Cyborg's sceptical look.

He sauntered over to the wall behind me and checked all of the machines before turning to look at my leg. Upon seeing the unmarred skin of my limb he let out a low whistle. I raised an eyebrow at him in question.

"That was pretty fast." He explained upon seeing my face.

"Right." I said shortly and turned to look at Robin. "Why did you bring me here?"

The four of them looked rather surprised at my bluntness but I didn't enjoy shirking around the issue. Besides I hadn't meditated for some time now and my patience was wearing thin, not to mention my control.

"Dude you got shot, you needed medical attention." Beast boy told me.

"I would've been fine, as you can see." I said in a dull voice.

"Obviously, but a thank you would be appreciated." Robin told me hotly.

"Thank you." I said sarcastically. "Now can I leave?"

"Not one to pussyfoot around are you?" asked Cyborg.

"Please tell me, Raven has cat feet?" Starfire asked hesitantly.

"No Star, it's just an expression. It means to dodge an issue." Robin explained in a gentle voice.

"So can I leave?" I asked again, this time a little louder.

"Dude, where would you go? We found you in an abandoned church." Asked Beast boy challengingly.

"Please could she stay here Robin?" Starfire whispered to Robin, unaware that I could hear them.

Robin let out a weary sigh and turned to look at me. "Look why don't you stay the night? All your stuff's already here and you need to get proper rest."

I nodded and said a small thank you and the four of them left the room. Cautiously I made my way out of bed and over to my bag. Opening it up I pulled out my mirror, certain that my emotions were running rampant. Knowing it would take most of the night to calm myself I sat down and got comfortable.

---

I snapped my eyes open and let out a sharp breath. My hands glowed black as I surveyed my unfamiliar surroundings. I let out a small sigh once my memory returned. Now I remembered, I was in the titan's tower medical bay.

I got out of bed and made my way over to my belongings. I grabbed a fresh leotard and my shower bag and made my way to over to the shower in the bathroom nearby. I undressed quickly and got into the scalding spray. I let the water soothe my aching muscles. I washed my lavender hair speedily but thoroughly. It felt nice. Since leaving the Hive I had been showering at the local public pool.

Minutes after I had dried off and gotten dressed the door slid open to reveal Beast boy.

"Hey dude you're awake. Come on, Robin wants to talk to you." Beast boy said looking expectantly at me. I nodded my head as the only indicator that I heard him and followed him out of the room.

"So you want to hear a joke?" He asked

_Not really,_ I thought but didn't say anything out loud. Beast boy seemed to take my silence as a yes and his face broke out into a goofy grin.

"Okay. How many Goths does it take to screw in a light bulb? " He paused dramatically to give me time to answer. I merely raised my eyebrow and he took that as an 'I don't know'.

"They're all like 'What's a light bulb?'" After delivering the punch line Beast boy laughed uproariously at his own joke.

He quieted down after he noticed that I was not amused. We continued walking in silence towards the main room, our footfalls echoing in the empty halls. The two of us walked through a set of sliding doors and entered a large room where all the titans were gathered.

"So what's this all about?" I asked, not really caring.

"Raven, we were wondering if-"Robin started but was cut off by an over enthused Starfire.

"We would be most delighted if you would join the teen titan's!"

---

_First off I'd like to apologize for the lateness of this chapter, and second as always please review. ^^ =3_


	8. Ch 8 Family

_**Disclaimer: **_If I owned the Teen titans, chances are I wouldn't be writing fan fiction about it.

_**A Matter of Perspective  
**__Chapter eight - Family_  
by: Eternity Bites

Elizabeth the second once said, "Like all the best families, we have our share of eccentricities, of impetuous and wayward youngsters and of family disagreements." That statement definitely rang true when it came to the titan's. But despite all of their differences and abnormalities they seemed to click together. I may have only seen them interact with each other for a few hours but I could see who much they loved each other. The titans truly were like a family. They knew each other's habits and attitudes as well as they might know their own. Did I want to possibly ruin that? Would I ever possibly fit in with the Teen Titan's.

---

To say the alien's exclamation took me off guard would have been the biggest understatement of the year. I was completely floored. Only yesterday these people were preparing to throw me in jail and now here they were inviting me to join their team. I was taken completely off guard which resulted in a near-by light bulb shattering.

"You'd be on probation for a while though, I don't know if I can trust you." Robin told me seriously.

"Just give me a few hours. I'll be back." I told them, adding on the last part after seeing Starfire's panicked face.

I phased out of the tower and flew into the city. I wandered around for about thirty minutes before finding myself at the old clock tower. Sitting down by the rusted bell I began thinking about the last few months. First I remembered my experience at the H.A.E.Y.P. Memories of my lessons, my 'friends', Jinx, Mammoth, and Gizmo, and finally _him_.

He was the first real friend that I had ever had. Then I had to go and mess it up, typical Raven move. I had tried to contact Kyd Wykkyd but never had any success. Maybe we weren't that great of friends if he gave up on me so easily.

This made me think of the titan's. The four of them seemed like such a close knit family. I didn't want to ruin that, yet at the same time I hungered to belong. I wanted to feel like I belonged somewhere, was that so much to ask?

---

I spent the next few hours going over the pros and cons of each option.

If I accepted I would have a place to live, I wouldn't go to jail, and my job would be a hell of a lot easier. The only problem was that eventually I'd have to deal with my former team.

I took my time getting back and arrived to an empty tower, figures. I walked up to the giant monitor and scanned it, trying to discern their current location. They were at an oil rig off the coast of the island. Apparently Dr. Light was at it again.

I was about to go and help them when the screens image flickered and changed. In the maps place was a larger than life picture of Robin.

"Raven you there?"

"Yes." I answered tonelessly.

"Well we're all done here but could you," Robin paused in his question and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Could you umm put the kids to bed?"

My eyebrows shot up into my hairline and Robin looked embarrassed. The kids? Then it hit me. They were _the _kids, the ones I was ordered to kidnap.

"Kids don't like me." I told Robin seriously.

"Just view this as a trust building exercise. You are on probation after all." The boy wonder told me.

"What makes you think I'm going to join your team?"

"You're at the tower aren't you?" Robin asked with a smug looking grin.

Before I could retort Robin's image disappeared. I took a calming breath before turning away from the monitor and floating toward the door. Halfway there I stopped, realizing I had no clue where the kids were located. I heard an eardrum shattering wail and let out a sigh. This was going to be a long night.

---

The kids were a strange bunch. Teether would eat anything in sight, Timmy could probably break glass with that cry of his, and Melvin, the last of the little group, had an invisible friend named Bobby.

Whenever I asked one of the titans about Bobby they just gave a small indulging smile. Apparently they didn't believe in Bobby either. I tried to tell Melvin that he wasn't real but she wouldn't listen, none of the kids would. Eventually, though, I just accepted that there was no convincing them.

I was going on my second week with the titans. I still wasn't allowed to go on any missions so I stayed home and watched over the kids. It was illogical but I found myself feeling incredibly protective of them. I almost felt as though the three were my own children. What was even more surprising was the fact that they seemed to like me back. They weren't shy about it either.

_I had been staying the tower for a few days and I was in the main room, attempting to read over the din of Beast Boy's video games. _

"_Raaaaaaaaaven!" Timmy yelled as he and his siblings made their way into the room._

_I put down my novel and opened up my arms in time for Timmy to jump into them. This of course made Teether feel left out and he began wailing. Sighing, I stooped over and picked him up._

"_Raven, let's go to the playground." Melvin suggested much to the delight of her brothers._

"_Yeah, come on Raven let's go!" Shouted Timmy as he jumped off my lap and began tugging on my hand._

"_Sounds like fun." Beast boy commented from the couch. "Can I come to?"_

"_No we want to play with Raven." Melvin told him._

"_Not you." Timmy added and Beast Boy slouched in his seat, disappointed._

So, all in all life wasn't too bad. I had adjusted surprisingly well to life with the titans. However I found it disheartening that the titans still didn't trust me enough to join them on missions.

---

The day was absolutely miserable. The sky was near black and the rain pounded furiously against the windows. Every so often a bolt of lightning would streak through the sky, illuminating it for a brief moment. The eight of us were lounging about in the main room. It seemed that even criminals had enough sense not to be out in this weather. I was seated in the lotus position, meditating when a loud, blaring noise broke my concentration. I looked over to Cyborg questioningly and he walked over to the monitor.

"Dude, someone's outside my tower." Cyborg exclaimed.

"Did someone order pizza?" I asked, already bored with the proceedings.

Everyone turned to look at Beast Boy and he raised his hands in an 'I didn't do it' gesture. The alarm continued to sound and I let out annoyed sigh. I got up and went to exit the room.

"Raven where are you headed?" Starfire asked.

"To answer the door." I answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

The rest of the teams faces lit up with understanding, the idea obviously hadn't dawned on them. After telling the kids to stay put the four of them followed me. We arrived in the main hall and Robin opened up the front door cautiously. Robin looked out at our guest than glanced, surprised, back at me. I raised an eyebrow and he opened the door further revealing a lone figure. Letting out a small gasp I realized I recognized the visitor.

---

_I apologize for the long wait. A multitude of things popped up. I sprained my wrist , my Word trial ran out so I had to scramble to get the full version, and I've been busy._

_Anyway I appreciate any reviews and would be very grateful if you could go to my page and vote in the poll. It will determine who Raven will end up with. Currently its Robin - 12 and Kyd Wykkyd - 3_


	9. Ch 9 Forgiveness

_**Disclaimer: **_If I owned the Teen titans, chances are I wouldn't be writing fan fiction about it.

_**A Matter of Perspective  
**__Chapter nine - forgiveness_  
by: Eternity Bites

"Kyd Wykkyd?" I asked slightly bewildered. The titan's turned to me with questioning stares.

"Raven, you know this guy?" Beast boy asked in a shocked manner. Ignoring him I turned my attention back to our extremely unexpected guest.

"_**Raven?" **_sounded a cautious voice inside my head.

I did a mental double take as I realized I could hear him, inside my head. Twin bolts of hurt and anger flashed through me and I struggled to contain them. One of the many light bulbs overhead shattered and as a unit the titan's turned to look at me then back at the new comer. Not even pausing to think about it I grabbed the door and mercilessly slammed it in Kyd's face.

"Friend Raven, what has this man done to make you so upset?" Starfire asked curiously.

"Raven, who was that just now?" Robin questioned me suspiciously.

"He's nobody." I answered tonelessly. "Now if you don't mind I'm going to meditate."

"Sure didn't seem like nobody." I could hear Cyborg mutter as I make a hasty retreat from the room.

"_**That wasn't very nice."**_ Kyd Wykkyd told me disapprovingly.

I ignored him and continued to make my way towards my room. Once there I proceeded to clear my mind and center myself. I had been meditating for a few minutes before I heard the equivalent of a mental sigh.

"_**It's rude to ignore people you know."**_ Kyd Wykkyd told me, breaking my concentration.

"_That's rich coming from you."_ I answered, snorting out loud.

"_**Raven-"**_Kyd started pleadingly before I cut him off.

"_Leave me alone, go back to the academy."_ I told him, covering up the hurt in my voice as best as I could.

Suddenly I felt a hand grab my shoulder and I let out a little shriek as I lost my concentration and fell. I glared up angrily at Kyd Wykkyd and moved away from his hand. He looked _hurt _and I tried my best not feel guilty.

"_Look Kyd-"_ I started but was cut off by the banging coming from my door.

"Raven?" I could hear a voice call to me from the other side. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I consoled Robin as I opened the door to him and my three other teammates.

"Dude you are not fine! First you get mad at this random freak and now you're screaming. You are not fine!" Beast boy wailed, waving his arms wildly to enforce his point.

"Yeah Rae, the kids are worried. It's unlike you to just fly off the handle like that." Cyborg told me.

"I just," I paused to take a deep breath. "I just need to sort some things out. I need to be alone right now."

"If you say so Raven. Just remember to call us should you need anything." Robin said backing up.

"Yeah I will," I told him, closing the door too soon to see the concerned look that flashed across Robin's face.

Turning my back on the door, I looked further into the room and found Kyd lounging casually on my bed.

"_Why are you still here?" _I asked. _"You were only too willing to ditch me back with I left the academy."_

"_**Raven-" **_He started but I was quick to cut him off.

"_You were the only person I thought of as a friend, but I guess-" _My breath hitched for a moment and a few books flew off the shelves before I continued, _"I guess I was wrong."_

"_**Raven I did think of you as a friend, do." **_Kyd corrected himself.

"_Then why didn't you answer my whenever I tried to talk to you? If you didn't want to be my friend I'd rather you told me then ignored me." _I told him

Kyd gave out a weary sigh before looking up at me with crimson eyes that seemed incredibly troubled.

"_**The academy changed drastically after you left Raven." **_Kyd started quietly.

Kyd Wykkyd then went on to tell me how the old headmistress had 'mysteriously' disappeared. Then a man who went by the name Brother Blood came and took control. If what Kyd said was anything to go by it was more than just control; it was a dictatorship. Apparently Brother Blood had some way of mentally brainwashing all of the students. When I asked him why he wasn't a mindless drone he vaguely replied that he had strong mental barriers.

"_So he's basically turned you all into slaves." _I asked and Kyd nodded in agreement.

"_Why did you finally choose now to leave? Why not earlier?" Why didn't you contact me? _I silently added.

"_**Brother Blood has been watching us extremely closely. He heard about you joining up with the Titan's after you left. I couldn't get away any earlier because I needed to make sure he trusted me. This is my first time out of the academy." **_Kyd explained to me.

"_Do you need to be getting back soon?" _I asked after a few moments had passed.

"_**What do you mean? Didn't you just hear me? The place is entirely corrupted. I may be evil but I have standards. I steal but I don't go on mass killing sprees." **_Kyd informed me, managing to sound indignant.

"_Well then what are you going to do now?" _I asked, mildly curious. I certainly hoped he chose to do something other than be a crook because I rather liked him and did not want to send him to jail. Although, it wasn't like any common jail could hold him for long.

"_**Well, I was wondering if maybe-" **_Here Kyd paused and scratched the back of his head in embarassment, a light blush dusting his cheeks. _**"Iwaswonderingificouldbecomeateentitan." **_Kyd blurted out.

I looked at him with a raised eyebrow before telling him I had no idea what he had just said. Kyd took a deep breath before repeating what he had said, this time with pauses.

"_**I was wondering if I could become a teen titan."**_

My head whipped to him so fast it was a miracle i didn't get whiplash. Did I just hear correctly? Kyd Wykkyd wanted to become a teen titan. Finally there would be someone I could connect to. Someone who actually understood me. Inside Nevermore I could see a pink clothed Raven jumped for joy.

A cough caught my attention and I was ripped from my silent musings. Kyd was sitting on my bed casting a questioning look in my direction. I sighed and turned to look at him.

"Are you serious about wanting to become a titan?" I asked outloud to show how much the answer to this question meant.

Kyd nodded sat up a little straighter on the bed, seeming to sense that the situation was serious.

"I can try to talk to Robin, but I'm still on probation as it is so I can't make any promises." I told him, trying to ensure that he was prepared incase he was disappointed.

"Now," I asked with a stony, unreadable expression. "Why do you want to become a teen titan?"

---

_Yes I know it's been an incredibly long time since i've updated I'm terribly sorry. I was traveling for a month and then I had finals and so on an so forth you get the idea. Thanks to those of you who've stuck with the story. I'll try to be more dilligent with the updates in the future.  
**Also: Please remember to vote in the poll about who Raven should end up with it would be greatly appreciated. ^^ =3**_


	10. Ch 10 Changes

_**Disclaimer: **_If I owned the Teen titans, chances are I wouldn't be writing fan fiction about it.

_**A Matter of Perspective  
**__Chapter ten - Changes_  
by: Eternity Bites

Kyd Wykkyd sat for a moment and thought about, sensing how important this answer would be.

"_**I want to be a teen titan because-",**_ Kyd was about to answer when he was cut off by the blaring noise of the alarm.

"We'll talk when I get back, don't leave my room. Got it?" I asked Kyd as I hastily fixed my robe.

He nodded to show his understanding and I rushed out of my room. I met Cyborg in the hallway, who shot me a questioning glance but I ignored it in favour of focusing on the current crisis.

"Who is it this time?" Cyborg asked when we had made it to the main room.

"Dr. Light." Robin answered in an amused tone of voice.

"Ah memories." I said softly under my breath.

"Raven, this will be your first mission you're officially off probation. You're coming with us understand?" Robin paused and I nodded to signify my comprehension. "Alright then, Titan's Go!" Robin shouted and with that we all raced off to Jump City Jewellers.

---

When we arrived we quickly spotted Dr. Light, making absolutely no effort to hide himself instead waving around a whip made out of light. It seems he's gotten an upgrade, I mused silently.

With another shouting of the teen titan's catch phrase we were off into battle. Robin ran at Dr. Light pulling out his Bo staff and twirling it around. He attempted to trip him up but Dr. Light parried each swing of the staff with a rotation of his whip. Next up was Beast Boy who immediately transformed into a giant t-rex and attempted to smash Dr. Light to bits with his monstrous tail. In retaliation Dr. Light threw a huge disc that exploded in light managing to blind Beast boy so he was out for the count.

Pausing for a moment Dr. Light looked around for his newest foe. When he heard the sound of Cyborg's sonic canon warming up Dr. Light whipped his head to the left and caught sight of Cyborg and Starfire launched their respective weapons at the same time.

"Light comes before sound, haven't you heard?" Dr. Light yelled, attempting to laugh maniacally but ultimately failing.

Following his cackle Dr. Light shot the light equivalent of Cyborg's sonic cannon from a plate attached to his chest. Seeing most of my teammates try and fail I decided to step in.

Coming up behind Dr. Light I hovered a couple feet above the ground, allowing shadows to flail from beneath my cape and my eyes to turn demonic.

"**Darkness swallows light, haven't you heard?"** I asked in a sadistic and demonic tone.

Without delay Dr. Light turned around only to instantly pale. Turning to the nearest titan, who at the time was Robin, Dr. Light demanded that he be taken to jail swiftly and by anyone besides me.

"Who wants to go for waffles?" Cyborg asked after the police had come and taken Dr. Light away to a secure facility.

"I'll pass; I have some things I wanted to do." I answered blandly before turning away.

"Are you sure Raven? There'll be syrup." Cyborg tried his hand at tempting me.

I was tempted to stay and spend some time with the team but I knew that I needed to talk to Kyd soon.

"Sorry, I have issues that need my attention." I told him mildly.

I turned to go but was stopped by a hand on my shoulder. Looking over I saw Robin staring at me troubled.

"Are you sure you don't want to come? You've been kind of off since earlier. We're worried about you Raven." Robin told me honestly.

I felt guilty for making everyone worried about me, I sort of thought of them as my family. Robin and Cyborg were the protective older brothers with Beast boy; Starfire, Timmy, Melvin, and Teether were all like my younger siblings, each with their own unique charm. I glanced behind Robin and saw a green dog making pathetic eyes in my direction, along with Starfire who widen her expressive eyes impossibly wider.

"Fine." I answered bluntly. Kyd Wykkyd could wait I was going to go out for waffles with my family.

---

We didn't make it back to the tower for another few hours. When we did we found the living room trashed. The couches were overturned and papers were strewn everywhere. I gazed around before letting out a sigh. The rest of the titan's sent a questioning glance in my direction.

"We left the mini-titans alone with Bobby." I told them as way of explanation. Understanding dawned on them and they frantically began searching for the hellions. As they were further tearing apart the main room I silently retreated to my own.

When I entered I saw a sight that I would never forget. There in the middle of my room was a hog-tied Kyd Wykkyd. On top of him sat Timmy, forcefully glaring down at Kyd. Melvin and Timmy were standing on either side doing a magnificent job of looking intimidating. Phasing into the shadows I sat back to watch the proceedings.

"Why are you in Raven's room?" Melvin asked.

"Yeah Raven doesn't like having people in her room." Timmy screamed as he peered down at him.

Kyd Wykkyd looked around wildly, trying to find some way to escape. In the back of my mind I was vaguely curious why he hadn't teleported away but merely shrugged it off. The children continued to give him a firm dressing down about going in my room and hurting me before I decided to come out.

"Timmy." I spoke quietly but they all turned in my direction anyway.

"Raven!" He shouted in his incredibly loud voice before jumping into my open arms. There were two more cries of 'Raven' as Melvin and Teether rushed over to my side.

"Everyone is looking for you." I told them seriously. "You made us very worried."

"But Raven, we saw this creepy man in your room!" Timmy exclaimed and Teether nodded with him.

"Yeah and Bobby doesn't like him." Melvin added.

"I'll take care of him. Why don't you bother Beast boy for awhile?" I half asked, half demanded. They took the hint a scampered out of my room.

"_**Thank you for saving me." **_Kyd Wykkyd said as soon as they had left the room.

I waved my hand dismissively before sitting down in a chair. After I had gotten comfortable I looked over at Kyd.

"_So what is your answer?"_ I asked seriously. Kyd took a big breath before starting.

"_**I want to be a teen titan because I'm tired of hurting people needlessly. As I told you earlier I only stole to survive, I don't like killing. The only reason I even joined the academy was because I wanted to be accepted. If I join the teen titans I can help people instead of hurt people and I'll still be around people like me."**_

As soon as Kyd finished I abruptly stood up and headed towards the door I motioned for Kyd to follow me and he did, although a little reluctantly.

"_We're going to talk to Robin about you joining as a probationary titan."_

As the door slid open I hastily walked out and stalked towards Robin's room, Kyd dogging my heels. When we arrived I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, the only sign that I was nervous, before knocking on my leader's door. We didn't need to wait long before Robin answered the door.

"Hey Raven, what can I do for you?" He asked, surprise colouring his tone.

"I want to talk about our earlier guest." I said monotonously before stepping to the side and revealing Kyd Wykkyd.

Now Robin was more confused than surprised but he let us in albeit a little cautiously. We sat down in some of the chairs scattered around the room and Robin turned towards us getting right down to business.

"So who is he?"

"This is Kyd Wykkyd, someone I used to know from the H.A.E.Y.P." I paused a moment to let that set in before I continued. "I'm told that they've recently got a new headmaster who's a lot more blood thirsty than the last one. Kyd joined the academy for many of the same reasons I did, to be somewhere where we aren't looked at as freaks. He never had any real desire to hurt people. That's why he would like to join the teen titan's"

"Oh?" Robin asked vaguely. "Why can't he say this himself?"

"He's mute." I said seriously.

"Then how to you know all this?" Robin asked suspiciously.

"I opened a mental link between when we first met so we could converse more naturally." I answered.

"Could you make another one? I'd like to hear what he has to say." Robin demanded. I nodded before signifying that it had been done.

I sat in silence for a few minutes but if the changes in Robin's and Kyd Wykkyd's facial expression were anything to go by the two of them were having a silent conversation.

After a few moments Robin said words that would once again change the dynamics of the titan's forever.

"On the issue of Kyd Wykkyd joining the Teen Titan's we'll be putting it to a vote."

**_---_**

_I found myself with a whole bunch of free time this may long (I had no internet =[ ) so I managed to write two chapters of this story. I'll be posting the next one in about a week or so I imagine. Also the poll is now closed. I'm not sure if i'll actually add any romance yet but if people want me to than I will._


	11. Ch 11 Trouble

_**Disclaimer: **_If I owned the Teen titans, chances are I wouldn't be writing fan fiction about it.

_**A Matter of Perspective  
**__Chapter eleven - Trouble_  
by: Eternity Bites

Kyd Wykkyd and I nodded seriously and stood up from where we were sitting. The two of us were about to head out of the room when Robin stopped us.

"Raven can I talk to you for a moment?" Robin asked unsure.

I nodded than told Kyd to wait for us in the hallway. As soon as Kyd had teleported out of the room I turned to Robin questioningly.

"Are you alright with this Raven?" Robin asked worriedly.

"What do you mean Robin? I'm the one who brought him in." I told him, slightly confused.

"I saw how you reacted when you saw him earlier Raven, we all did. I just wanted to make sure you're okay with him joining us." Robin explained.

"His appearance surprised me." I said expressionlessly.

"If it was just surprise you felt than I wouldn't have to replace light bulb's Raven." Robin retorted.

"Look we got into a fight before I left the academy, seeing Kyd just brought up some bad memories."

"If you're sure..." Robin trailed off uncomfortably.

"I'm sure," I told him firmly.

"All right lets go to the main room. Beast boy and Cyborg are probably playing video games and Starfire is probably cooking." Robin theorized, unconsciously shivering at the thought of Starfire's cooking.

I wordlessly followed my leader out of the office. We met up with Kyd Wykkyd and I paused to inform him that he was to wait in my room while the rest of team had a meeting.

Robin and I made our way to the main room and when we entered the room the scene was exactly as Robin had earlier described. I stood a little ways behind Robin when he called everyone over to our position. After a few moments when the rest of the team had detached themselves from their various activities Robin started.

"I'm sure you all remember our guest earlier today." Robin paused to let everyone nod. "Well he was a friend of Raven's from her earlier days when she was a part of the Hive. Raven and he, his name is Kyd Wykkyd, were talking and apparently he doesn't much like the direction the Hive is going so he wants to join the titans."

"Why should we believe anything this guy has to say?" Cyborg enquired suspiciously.

"Raven vouched for him." Robin said by way of explanation.

"Dude Raven vouched for him? Didn't she like totally flip out at him earlier?" Beast boy asked waving his arms around wildly.

"It was a misunderstanding." I responded blandly.

"I think that it is glorious that this friend of Raven's wishes to join the wonderful teen titans!" Starfire shouted excitedly.

"Err right." Beast boy agreed confusedly before continuing, "But I guess if Raven thinks he's okay I'll vote for him. Maybe he likes video games."

"What can this Kyd Wykkyd do?" Cyborg asked, wanting all the information.

Robin was about to answer when he realized he wasn't entirely sure. He looked over at me uncertainly and I took that as a hint to respond.

"Kyd Wykkyd can teleport and create portals." I described mildly. Seeing the bewildered expressions of my comrades I decided to clarify. "Kyd can make portals into anything and can teleport anywhere instantaneously."

"There's no way he can bypass the security measures I put on the tower." Cyborg replied confidently.

I shook my head in the negative. "After I slammed the door in his face he was waiting for me in my room."

That quickly grabbed everyone's attention. After all no one was allowed in my room.

"Well I suppose he could be a good addition on the team. We could use him to get inside hideouts and such, right?" Cyborg agreed hesitantly.

"All right so we've reached a decision. Kyd Wykkyd is now a probationary teen titan."

---

Kyd Wykkyd fit in surprisingly well with the team. After the meeting I told him of the results and showed him one of the spare rooms that now had his name carved into it. Since I was no longer on probation I had to go with the rest of the titan's whenever an alarm went off so Kyd had to stay with the kids. That was interesting because the children still didn't trust him.

---Flashback---

_This was our first time leaving Kyd alone in the tower with the mini-titans. I was still a little leery about leaving the two together. I wasn't worried about Melvin, Timmy and Teether. Oh no, I was much more worried about Kyd's mental state. I knew the three well enough to know that they could and probably would destroy the poor teen. So it was reluctantly that I went off with the rest of the titans to fight Mumbo._

_We took care of Mumbo fairly quickly then headed straight back to the tower. The scene we arrived to I would likely never forget. On the floor in the main room were Teether, Timmy and Melvin all sitting on thrones made out of sofa cushions while Kyd Wykkyd was serving them drinks in a stereotypical French maid outfit._

_Beast boy and Cyborg instantly found themselves on the ground rolling around their laughter was so great. Robin was laughing to albeit with a little more composure. It was enough to make me crack a smile as well._

---End---

Thinking of that sight and the various others that greeted us when we arrived back from fights always brought a tiny grin to my face. It had been a few months now since Kyd had joined the teen titans and he was going to begin joining our patrols around town next week.

Today was a rather normal day in Jump City. Beast boy and Cyborg were playing video games, Starfire was in the kitchen cooking (and I use that word loosely), Robin was blaring his music, Kyd Wykkyd was making a fort out of sofa cushions (we learned he was prone to doing that in his spare time), and I was attempting to meditate in front of the large bay window. We were all going about our various activities when the alarm went off.

In unison the five of us, Kyd continued on his pillow fort, jumped up and ran, or flew, to the main computer.

"It seems as if there has been a break in at the Museum. Titans Go!" After Robin explained the situation and shouted his catch phrase we were off.

---

We arrived to find the museum quiet as the grave and I couldn't help but feel those words held some kind of menacing omen. The five of us made our way silently through the main hall of the museum and I couldn't help but wish Kyd was here. Getting in without alerting the enemy would've been so much easier.

Suddenly the back alarms blared and we raced towards the rear entrance. When I saw who awaited us I couldn't help but notice I was right in my prediction of doom.

"Well, well, well if it isn't the little birdie that flew from the nest."

---

_See wasn't that such a short wait. Virtual pocky to whoever can guess who made an appearance at the end there. It wasn't hard lol._


	12. Ch 12 Beytrayal

_**Disclaimer: **_If I owned the Teen titans, chances are I wouldn't be writing fan fiction about it.

_**A Matter of Perspective  
**__Chapter Twelve - Betrayal_  
by: Eternity Bites

Betrayal was a loaded word in my book. Some defined it as disappointing the hopes or expectations of friends or coworkers and others described it as committing an act of treason against a person. The problem with the first definition is if it is true we are constantly betraying people, friends, coworkers, loved ones, everyone. But if we use the second one we have to know how to define treason. I found that there were so many different meanings the word that it couldn't really be defined. So I ask you, what is your definition of betrayal?

_~ Each betrayal begins with trust. ~  
Phish_

**Last time:**

_Suddenly the back alarms blared and we raced towards the rear entrance. When I saw who awaited us I couldn't help but notice I was right in my prediction of doom._

"_Well, well, well if it isn't the little birdie that flew from the nest."_

**Now on with the story:**

"Team Hive." I said in recognition with the barest hint of distaste.

Robin paused for a moment to look from team hive to me before shouting out his customary 'Titan's Go!'

At Robin's signal the titans immediately leapt into action. Cyborg and Starfire charged Gizmo and soon I could see flashes of Cyborgs sonic cannon and Starfires star bolts out of the corner of my eye. Beastboy and Robin dashed at Mammoth and soon the sounds of battle reached my ears. Soon it was just me and Jinx, exactly what I didn't want.

Jinx and I started circling each other cautiously before jumping at each other. From the point of view of an outsider the two looked to be locked in a dangerous dance. After weeks of working together I understood Jinx's style of fighting and likewise she understood mine.

"Running around with children Raven? I would've expected better of you." Jinx taunted as she flipped out of the way of a blast of my energy.

I pointedly ignored the jab and dodged a volley of bad luck. Jinx didn't seem to care about my lack of acknowledgement, but from out time as teammates she was probably used to it.

The mistress of bad luck and I continued to fight, sending kicks, punches and barrages of energy at one another. This progressed for a few minutes before we simultaneously broke apart to take a breath.

During our pause I looked around to see how the others were faring. Currently Cyborg and Starfire had managed to disarm Gizmo and were working on tying him up but Beast boy and Robin were still trying to subdue.

"Why did you do it Raven?"

I turned my head back to Jinx and raised an eyebrow in a silent question.

"Do what?" I asked blandly, when she didn't seem inclined to answer my wordless inquiry.

"Why did you have to go and betray us? We let you in, why did you have to take advantage of that? WE TRUSTED YOU!" Jinx exploded.

Only the slight widening of my eyes gave away my shock. They trusted me? They let me in? While I was thinking about this Jinx took advantage of my distraction and kicked me square in the face.

My head exploded in pain and the edge of my vision faded black. I groaned loudly and managed to block the follow up punch. I paused for a moment to shake the spots out of my sight and sent my own barrage of blows back at her.

"How could you do this to us? We were a team!" Jinx screamed at me as she sent a burst of bad luck at me.

"What team?" I retorted, "I was always an afterthought. The three of you just used me for all your dirty work."

Jinx gave a mirthless laugh while evading a blast of my black magic.

"Oh? And the titan's aren't using you? At least with us you were paid. They're probably making you babysit and do menial chores." Jinx took my silence as a confirmation and gave another bitter laugh.

"Oh that's rich! The titans are using you as their little lap dog! They probably don't even like you, after all who could love a demon?"

Jinx's last insult caught me off guard. How did she know about my heritage? The only people on the entire planet who knew were the ones who let me onto the planet. So how did Jinx know? Wait, some high security building was robbed a few days ago. It must've been Team Hive.

Jinx once again capitalized on my preoccupation and landed a blow on my gut. My breath exited me in gust and I was left hunched over gasping.

"It seems babysitting really took away your edge, eh Raven? You can barely keep up with me anymore." Jinx taunted me as she danced around my person, dealing out glancing blows.

Jinx didn't pause for a moment during her bombardment and I couldn't help but wonder where the titan's were. After Cyborg and Starfire finished securing Gizmo the four of them would've had no problem with subduing Mammoth. Maybe Jinx was right; perhaps I really didn't mean anything to them.

"You're so pathetic Raven. See what leaving has done to you? You're a joke, useless." Jinx continued to jeer at me as she pranced about our battlefield.

"At least I'm a better person than you." I managed to wheeze out.

"How so?" Jinx asked as she easily eluded my blows. "You're just as bad as we are; you are after all one of us."

"I don't go around kidnapping children." I snapped back and I could feel my powers crackle with my frustration.

"Oh look at Ms. High an' Mighty. It wasn't anything personal. It was a job, just like any other job."

"What job? You weren't going to do any of the work. You were just going to use me to do your dirty work. The three of you probably weren't even going to give me a cut of whatever profit you may have received." I cried, frustrated by my inability to land a finishing hit.

"We did more for you than those goody two shoes titans ever did and will ever do for you!" Jinx screamed at me and tripped me up with some bad luck. "It doesn't have to be this way. We'll still take you back. All you have to do is get those kids."

"Jinx let's get out of here, we've wasted enough time already." Mammoth shouted at her.

"Just think about it." Jinx whispered before she flipped away to go join her teammates.

I swayed for a moment before collapsing on the pavement. The road scraped my knees but I was more worried about the spots dancing in my line of sight. I saw the titans making their way towards me before finally giving into exhaustion and slipping into the familiar realm of unconsciousness.

---

_**Authors Note:** I'm terribly sorry I haven't updated for like six months. I could give a list of excuses but its a combitnation of lazyiness and fanfiction obsession. On another note I have a new poll posted on my profile. I would like to know if you think Raven should go back to team hive or stay with the teen titan's? Tell me your opinion in a review or vote in the poll please._

_And, as always reviews are appreciated. ^^_


	13. Ch 13 Decisions

_**Disclaimer: **_If I owned the Teen titans, chances are I wouldn't be writing fan fiction about it.

_**A Matter of Perspective  
**__Chapter Thirteen – Decisions _  
by: Eternity Bites

"_A wise man makes his own decisions; an ignorant man follows public opinion."  
Chinese proverb_

**Last time:**

_I swayed for a moment before collapsing on the pavement. The road scraped my knees but I was more worried about the spots dancing in my line of sight. I saw the titans making their way towards me before finally giving into exhaustion and slipping into the familiar realm of unconsciousness._

**Now on with the story:**

I could hear muted sounds around me as I slowly drifted back into consciousness. My head felt as if someone had smothered it in a wet blanket. The noise and my thought process were muffled and sluggish and I struggled to open my eyes. When I had finally succeeded in my endeavour I wished I hadn't. Sunlight filtered through the open window and my eyes shut automatically in defence.

After a few minutes I attempted to open my eyes and managed to keep them that way. I paused for a moment to let myself adjust to the brightness. When I finally had I summoned a small amount of the magic and scanned my body for injuries. I sighed when I finished my self-diagnosis. It seemed Jinx had delivered a massive bruise to my cheek and broke three of my ribs. On top of that I was suffering from magical exhaustion so I couldn't even speed up my own recovery.

I prepared myself before slowly shifting into a sitting position. My damaged ribs made moving awkward and I worked hard to move as gingerly as possible. When I prevailed in my venture I gently crossed my legs and rested my palms against the scratchy sheets covering my lower body. As I closed my eyes I started chanting my mantra and succumbed to the familiar setting of my mind.

I had only been meditating for a few minutes before I heard the door slid open quietly. I ignored the person hoping they could take a hint and leave me alone, but no such luck. I had already assumed it was Robin because the person was waiting too quietly to be either Starfire or Beast boy and the footsteps were to light to have been Cyborg.

I sighed quietly before opening my eyes and turning toward my leader. I noted that his shoulders were tensed and he looked uncomfortable.

"Robin." I acknowledged with an infinitesimal nod in his direction.

"Hey Raven, are you feeling any better?" Robin asked as leaned against the doorframe.

"Well enough." I replied blandly. "Is there something you wanted to talk to me about?"

"I'm sorry Raven, but we're going to have to put you back on probation."

"What, why?"

"You can't properly control your powers, you're unstable. If you had accidently unleashed you're powers an innocent person could've gotten hurt."

"No one got hurt and it won't happen again, I promise."

"I apologize, but I can't take that chance. The decision is final Raven, you're on probation."

The boy wonder left a few seconds later and I was left to think.

So that titan's thought that I was 'unstable'? That I wasn't in control? How dare they! Those titan's have no idea what I have to sacrifice for the control I have! The nerve of Robin, putting me back on probation. I hadn't done anything thing wrong, no one had gotten hurt because of my lack of control.

Thinking about my new restrictions eventually lead me to thoughts of the pink haired witch. Perhaps Jinx had been right and maybe the titan's really were using me. I tried to think about my placement on the team from an outsider's point of view. The titan's gained a babysitter, a new teammate, and a smaller work load and I got... nothing. Absolutely nothing.

But no! The titan's wouldn't do that to me, or anybody really. They were the good guys, the ones who fought for justice and peace. The teen titans would never take advantage of somebody. They obviously gave me restrictions because I was dangerous, not because they were too lazy to watch three little brats for a few hours. Regardless the team trusted me, why else would they let me watch their super rascals?

"_They just missed their slave and this was the perfect excuse to get her back." _A voice, which sounded similar to Jinx's, whispered maliciously in my mind.

"_No!"_ I argued back. _"They wouldn't do that, they trust me!"_

"_If the titans trust you so much then why don't they let you leave the house? Besides, you heard what Cyborg said. The ickle wittle titans are planning to lock away the big bad Raven!"_

"NO! SHUT UP!" I shouted breathing heavily. "It's not like that. I know it isn't."

But suddenly I wasn't so sure.

---

I had finally gotten tired of arguing in circles so I made my way to the kitchen to make myself a soothing cup of tea. I had about to turn the corner when I heard Beast boy's obnoxious voice. Undeterred, I was about to continue around the corner when I was able to decipher the shape shifters words.

"Dude, the girl's an absolute freak show. Somebody outta lock her up and throw away the key. At least there she wouldn't be able to hurt anybody" I could hear Beast boy shouting from around the corner.

"I know what you mean man. She's out of control and it won't be long before she loses what control she has left and then we're all doomed for." I heard Cyborg agree.

As I peeked around the corner I could see Kyd nodding his head in agreement with the other two titans. Seeing his agreement broke my heart, something I never thought I had.

I had never realized how much I enjoyed his company until I learned I never really had it. Kyd Wykkyd had always managed to calm me down and assuage my nerves. I desperately wanted to leave the hallway but found myself rooted to the spot. I needed to hear more, it was vital that I heard or saw some kind of change of heart from Kyd, but I was to be disappointed.

"Anyway I heard Robin's been talking to the police. They're going to lay some sort of trap and catch the psycho bitch," Cyborg continued, unaware of my agony. "You'll help, won't you Kyd? You do after all know her better than any of we do."

Kyd nodded his head again and I clamped a hand over my mouth to prevent a sob from escaping. All over the building lights flickered and I quickly teleported away before I blew up the entire building

---

In the dead of the night nobody noticed the lone form slip from the shadows to enter the titan's tower then silently leave moments later with a duffel bag.

---

_**Authors Note:** Well would you look at that. Two updates in a week. I'm getting better ^^. Hopefully I'll be able to finish the story soon. Anyway really important go to my profile and **VOTE IN THE POLL.** The results will decide which team Raven ends up on. I'm pretty sure I can make it work either way.  
Also, revivews inspire me. 3_


	14. Ch 14 Confrontation

_**Disclaimer: **_If I owned the Teen titans, chances are I wouldn't be writing fan fiction about it.

_**A Matter of Perspective  
**__Chapter Fourteen – Confrontation _  
by: Eternity Bites

"_He needed to make deals. A deal meant an opponent, an opponent meant confrontation, and confrontation was the source of his strength."  
Peter Evans_

**Last time:**

_In the dead of the night nobody noticed the lone shadowed form enter the titan's tower then silently leave moments later with a duffel bag._

**Now on with the story:**

I sighed and looked around at the familiar setting of the abandoned church. After I had left the titans tower I had flown around the city for a few hours to clear my head. By the time I made it to the church I couldn't help but feel stupid because I had no way of knowing Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Kyd Wykkyd were talking about me.

Sitting on the uncomfortable stone I let out another sigh. Why was it I always ran from my problems? What made me so scared of my own emotions?

Thinking about the problem only made my head hurt and my heart ache so I tried to think about other things. It wasn't working so I got up and made my way over to my duffel bag. Pulling it open I rummaged around for a moment before pulling out my meditation mirror. I flew to the steeple and sat down on the point. Moments later I began chanting and the world around me faded out of existence.

---

For the next few days' things continued on a similar pattern. I woke up around noon then would dress in some civilian clothes before heading to a cafe for some sort of breakfast/lunch. The next few hours were spent meditating or reading various spell books. After that I would but myself something that would pass as supper before donning my cloak.

My nights were spent fighting crime. I did my best to avoid felonies happening close to the titan's tower or the Hive academy. Even though I knew I acted irrationally I didn't think I would be able to face the titans.

Noise began to crackle beside me and I looked over to the police scanner I had pilfered from a cop car. Turning up the noise I just managed to make out a report of a robbery happening at an electronics store.

"Well," I murmured to myself, "Time to go to work."

---

I arrived at the electronics store to find all the lights off and not a whisper of sound could be heard through the building. As I prowled through the aisles I had to pause to shake off a shiver of déjà vu.

I continued to stalk throughout the store but I wasn't able to find anything missing or looking out of place. Finally I made it to the back of the shop where all the large televisions were kept. As soon as I approached them the screens flickered to life, displaying the grinning face of Gizmo.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!" The Gizmo's on the screens laughed in a mocking tone,

"Well if it isn't one of those crud-munchin' teen titans." Gizmo`s image sneered at me from multiple angles.

I stayed silent and looked at the screen contemplatively. Did Jinx's words hold any true merit, or would the three of them betray at any possible moment? Gizmo's childish shriek brought me back to earth and I realized that he was annoyed I had ignored him.

"LISTEN TO ME YOU SNOT-RAGS!!!" Gizmo shouted and I raised an eyebrow.

"Yes?" I asked without any inflection.

"Well, well if it isn't our traitorous teammate, eh guys?" The child genius asked eyes darting behind me.

I turned to see where he was looking and watched as Jinx slunk out of the shadows, Mammoth following behind and cutting an imposing figure. I shifted minutely in order to keep them all in my line of sight, even if Gizmo was only an image on a screen.

"And look," Gizmo continued. "She's all alone."

"Certainly didn't take them very long did it Raven?" Jinx jeered at me.

I struggled to keep my face blank. Truthfully I had been the one to leave the titan's but my disappearance obviously didn't bother them. Kyd hadn't attempted to contact me through our link and Robin didn't try to reach me on my communicator.

"It doesn't matter." I said at last. "I'm better off without them."

_Lies, _a voice in my mind hissed but I gave it a firm shove before focusing my attention back on the mistress of bad luck. Her eyes seemed to have brightened and shone with an emotion I couldn't identify.

"Finally coming around to our point of view hmm?" Jinx asked.

The plainly outnumbered me three to one so I nodded slowly, avoiding an altercation being the only thought on my mind.

Jinx grinned a little maniacally while Gizmo cackled in a demented manner. A grin stretched across Mammoths visage and should it get any wider it looked like it might break his face clean in half. Combined the entire trio made quite the creepy picture.

The television screens flickered and I turned to watch as they shorted out one by one. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention and I crouched to the floor. Just in time it seemed as I watched a pink blast sail over my head.

Standing, I turned puzzled eyes to where all the members of team hive were now standing. What she playing at? Wasn't this what Jinx wanted? Some of my confusion must've shown on my face because Jinx began laughing hysterically.

"Teammates?" I asked tonelessly.

"As if," Jinx said scornfully. "Did you really believe that whole thing? Oh 'how could you do this to us? We were a team!'"

Jinx scoffed as if the very thought disgusted her. My eyes narrowed and I prepared to make a comeback but found myself the fist flying towards my face. I rolled out of the way only to be hit with a strong blast of misfortune.

Struggling to my feet I had to leap out of the way of one of Gizmo's rockets. I resisted the urge to growl as I tried to call up my powers. To my frustration nothing responded and I was forced to dodge as the three took turns attacking me.

As they assailed me Jinx continued her verbal assault. Each blow was added with a comment on how worthless, stupid, and useless I was. How no one would ever willing love a demon such as myself. I found myself believing her. Foolishly I'd walked straight into a trap and allowed myself to doubt my friends. My presence was of no help to the titan's it probably made them worse, throwing out of balance years of teamwork.

They continued toying with me for a few more minutes before each faded into the shadows. Panting severely, I looked around frantically for any sign of them. My harsh breathing was the only sound in the otherwise silent store. Then suddenly a discharge of bad luck barrelled into my feet and I stumbled forward into a wall of muscle. Buzzing characteristic of Gizmo's backpack could be heard from behind me. Turning, I saw him slam a syringe into my exposed neck.

I felt my eyes slide shut against my will and I struggled against the drug. Before I could find myself succumbing to a now familiar darkness I sent out a mental plea for help. Finding I could no longer resist the strong sedative I collapsed into Mammoth's arms.

_---  
**Authors Note: **Well, what can I say? I've been in Africa for a month (vacation, it was amazing) and then I had to write my finals. :P Yes they're excuses but hey, at least I haven't abandoned this thing. Anyway the poll regarding Raven's team is closed and as always reviews are appreciated. Shouldn't be to long for the next chapter. =3_


	15. Ch 15 Kidnapped

_**Disclaimer: **_If I owned the Teen titans, chances are I wouldn't be writing fan fiction about it.

_**A Matter of Perspective  
**__Chapter Fifteen – Kidnapped_  
by: Eternity Bites

**Last time:**

_Before I could find myself succumbing to a now familiar darkness I sent out a mental plea for help. Finding I could no longer resist the strong sedative I collapsed into Mammoth's arms._

**Now on with the story:**

The first sense that returned to me was of course hearing. Around me I could hear the hum of monitors and hushed footsteps, footsteps that sounded as if they were headed directly towards me. I opened my eyes cautiously, not wanting to find myself blinded, and saw Jinx a few paces in front of me.

Only through sheer force of will was I able to contain the groan I wanted to release. Jinx and her two sidekicks had decided to kidnap me. Well if this wasn't a fantastic end to a fantastic week! Note the blatant sarcasm.

"Decided to wake up, have we?" Jinx asked and I gave her a blank stare.

"Not talking eh? Well it matters little I can talk for the both of us." As she talked Jinx had continued walking toward me until her face was inches away from my own.

"Now you're probably wondering why we went through all of the trouble of capturing you hmm?" Jinx paused for a moment, as if expecting me to say something. When I didn't she continued. "Well the three of us were really counting on you to kidnap those stupid brats for us. You see the three of us are villains, and well known ones at that. If those stupid titans saw us anywhere near those kids they would've attacked us in an instance. You however only pulled off one major heist. It would've been almost too easy for you to swoop in and steal them. Not to mention your powers are much more compatible. But then you had to go and leave!"

Jinx stopped and seemed to be trying to get herself under control. She clenched and unclenched her fists, taking deep breaths while her eyes spit fire.

"You ruined everything! The entire academy treats us like some kind of joke. Not only that, but the new headmaster arrived only days after you had left. What timing!" Jinx gave a bitter laugh. "The three of us went from being the top students to scum! Not only did you go and join the titans but you made us fail our mission. The first could've been forgiven but the second is inexcusable."

I gave Jinx a bored look and that seemed to break the fine control she held over her temper. My head snapped to the side and my cheek burned red. Jinx had slapped me, the bitch. I was sure that a hand print now marred my face.

Jinx scowled when she noticed I looked unfazed. I laughed in my head, of course I looked unaffected. I always did. Getting bored with our silent standoff I asked her if she was going anywhere with her ramblings. I earned myself another slap for that remark but Jinx started up again.

"You ruined us and Brother Blood had very little trust in our team. The thing is, despite his mistrust of us, we're still his very best students. None can match our flawless teamwork and superior skills." Jinx looked smug at this and she began pacing in front of me.

"So," Jinx continued. "Brother Blood gave us another chance. If the three of us could finish the mission we originally failed then we could regain his favour. And now you must be wondering how kidnapping you fits into our plan. Well I'll tell you."

Here Jinx leaned down as if she was going to impart some big secret. "You see you're going to be bait, as it were. We've sent the titan's footage of your unconscious form in our HQ and it won't be long before Boy-Wonder tracks down the location and comes to rescue you."

I could no longer contain myself and let out a snort. Jinx looked at me questioningly and I gave a bitter little laugh.

"The titan's are unlikely to come rescue me. I'm nothing more than a reformed criminal; you're wasting your time." I told her with only the faintest hints of sourness. "And even if they did come to rescue me how does this get you the children?"

"It's simple; while the four of them are here no one is back at the tower protecting the little munchkins. It will be easy as pie to subdue them and then bring the three of them to the headmaster."

I raised an eyebrow at her confidence. Did Jinx really believe it that simple to restrain the titans? I voiced my question and she giggled.

"We're villain's birdy-dear, who says the boys and I will fight fair? Besides we only need to keep them busy long enough to steal the brats." Jinx giggled again and clapped her hands together in a satisfied way.

I just shook my head. It was unlikely they were coming to retrieve me but I'd let Jinx hold onto the illusion for a little longer. Gizmo and Mammoth came into the room and the three of them went off to plan.

---

The room had long since emptied and I had been meditating for a few hours. Jinx had lined my cuffs with runes and it made me unable to use my powers in order to escape. I had resigned myself to being a hostage.

Distantly I could hear a repetitive thumping and I turned to look at the door curiously. Someone, correction many someone's, we're running toward the room. I watched the door, waiting for them to enter. It was likely team hive but it would do me no good to get caught unaware.

A blue light could be seen from the edges of the door and moments later it was blown inwards. I turned my head away from the in attempt to shield my face from flying debris. Opening my eyes I withheld a gasp. Standing in front of me were the titans.

"Wha- What are you doing here?" I hissed out although it was likely team hive had already heard the noise.

"Friend Raven!" Starfire exclaimed and smiled happily. "We've come to rescue you!"

"You shouldn't be here." I said hurriedly, looking around for any sign of Jinx, Gizmo, or Mammoth.

"What do you mean?" Robin asked suspiciously.

I had just opened my mouth to warn them of the trap but it was too late. Jinx and Mammoth swooped in and engaged the four in combat. Despite the fact that it was four against two, team hive seemed to have the advantage. They were familiar with the terrain and many traps had been set up before hand.

Starfire and Robin worked together to try and take down Jinx while Cyborg and Beast Boy attempted to defeat Mammoth. I use the words try and attempted because they weren't succeeding. Miraculously Jinx and Mammoth were winning, the titans were losing.

I tugged at my cuffs uselessly. I wanted to help them but there was no escaping the runes. Somehow Jinx had gotten hold of Azarathen runes, runes that bound my powers and left me defenceless and vulnerable.

The sounds of fighting stopped and I looked around warily. Jinx and Mammoth had disappeared. The titan's looked around cautiously, expecting the two to pop out and attack them. All of the doors slid closed simultaneously.

"What's going on Raven?" Robin demanded.

I sighed heavily before facing the titans. "It was a trap the entire time. Jinx wanted to lure you here in order to incapacitate you."

"So you were working with them the entire time." Robin said.

I shook my head negatively. "I never told you why I left the academy, did I?" Seeing them shake their heads I continued. "They wanted me to kidnap some metahuman children. Even villains have standards."

"No." Starfire gasped horrified.

"Yes and now team hive are going to do it without my help. They've lured you here in order to kidnap the mini-titans. I'm sure you noticed the lack of Gizmo."

The titan's eyes widened and they turned towards the door ready to blast out. My own eyes widened when I saw the strange green gas being pumped into the room.

"It's too late." I whispered with only the faintest hints of sorrow.

I watched with emotionless eyes as the titan's dropped to the floor, one by one, before I joined them in their unnatural sleep.

---  
_**Authors Note: **Well would you look at that, another update. Only a few more chapters left of this story. Thanks to all who've stuck with it the entire way. ^^ Reviews are much appreciated. The next chapter is already being written._


	16. Ch 16 Hero

_**Disclaimer: **_If I owned the Teen titans, chances are I wouldn't be writing fan fiction about it.

_**A Matter of Perspective  
**__Chapter Sixteen – Hero_  
by: Eternity Bites

"_A hero has faced it all: he need not be undefeated, but he must be undaunted."  
Andrew Bernstein_

**Last time:**

"_It's too late." I whispered with only the faintest hints of sorrow._

_I watched with emotionless eyes as the titan's dropped to the floor, one by one, before I joined them in their unnatural sleep._

**Now on with the story:**

The pain I associated with the return to consciousness was becoming irritatingly familiar. It was annoying how often I found myself succumbing to a forced and unnatural slumber. My head was pounding viciously, a result of whatever drug they used I'm sure.

Suddenly a piercing wail shocked me out of my stupor and my eyes snapped open. I looked around discretely trying to find where the cry originated from. In the far corner I found the source of the disturbance and my eyes narrowed into slits.

Jinx, Mammoth, and Gizmo were towering over the scared and shivering forms of the mini-titans. Melvin was holding Teether close to her and glaring fiercely at the three in front of her. Timmy, whose scream had roused me, was clutching his older sister like a lifeline and giving team hive surprisingly venomous looks for such a young child.

My eyes darted around and I could make out the titan's bound and the four of them dead to the world. A silent sigh escaped my lips; it seemed that there would be no help from that quarter. As quietly as I could I tugged at my cuffs. They continued to trap my hands and with hold my powers. It would seem Jinx did her research, which was truly a shame.

The sounds of struggle reached my ears and I focused on the happenings. My sight bled crimson when I saw the scene unfolding before me. Mammoth had the three toddlers trapped in his iron grip while Jinx and Gizmo threw insults and sneered from the side.

The cuffs dampened my senses but I was able to make out the words "worthless, dead, no chance of escape, and no help." Melvin said something to Jinx and was rewarded with a slap across the face.

I could feel rage bubble closer to the surface and my two eyes become six. Those kids were innocents and I'd be damned if I let them get hurt. Consumed by fury I had no problem standing up silently and stalking soundlessly over to where everyone was standing.

"_Kill them Raven, you know you want to. They deserve it after all. By harming what was ours their lives became forfeit. Make them pay for their crimes. Destroy them so they don't hurt another." _I could hear a traitorous voice whisper in my head.

The terrible thing was that I couldn't find it in myself to fight back. I agreed with what Rage was tempting me with, _Revenge_. It was so enticing and Team Hive was so oblivious they didn't even see me wake up.

"_It would be so easy," _Rage whispered. _"A little snap of the neck and they'll be lost to Dante's Inferno, forever."_

I could feel a bloodthirsty grin creep onto to my face. The part of me that I had tried to repress came to the forefront and I felt my aura flare with demonic energy.

"MELVIN!"

My head whipped toward Team Hive and my powers crackled. Gathering all my energy I released it in a pulse. The cuffs were easily overloaded but in my fury I didn't even notice, to focused on my targets.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to hurt others?" My voice sounded demonic and Gizmo whipped around to stare at me in horror.

Jinx was more calm but not by much. "Raven, I see you came to join the party." The pink haired villain tried at bravado but it was painfully obvious that she was just as shocked as the short genius.

All six of my crimson eyes narrowed. "Party huh? You think hurting children is some kind of game?"

"Oh who are you to lecture me? I know all about you, hypocrite. Here you are, looking down on what I do when you're just as bad, if not worse." Jinx seemed to gain confidence with every word and soon she was smirking in my direction. "You're an abomination, a demon. And you know what's even more pathetic? You're not even a proper demon. Not a demon and not a hero, so what are you Raven? You're a freak, that's what."

I clenched my fist so tightly that blood started leaking from my hands. "Not a demon huh?" My voice still echoed ominously. "Then perhaps I'll try being your worst nightmare."

That said, I brought up my fist, charged with black energy, and punched Jinx across the face. She flew across the room and collided with the wall, landing crumpled on the floor. I looked at my hand appraisingly. "Guess I don't know my own strength." I muttered.

Mammoth growled loudly and dropped the mini-titans. With a roar he leapt towards me and we engaged. I managed to block most of his blows and the ones I didn't we're returned with twice as much force. Mammoth soon became frustrated and as he got angrier he grew sloppier. My lips turned into a vicious smile as I took the offensive. Soon he slumped against the wall beside Jinx.

Grinning victoriously I turned to look for Gizmo. When I located him I snarled in anger.

"Don't make any moves snot-brain. You wouldn't want your precious little brats to get hurt, would you?"

The bald member of Team Hive had Timmy, Teether, and Melvin held at gun point, one of his home-made ones if I was correct. Reluctantly I calmed down and my powers influence receded, returning my appearance to normal.

I closed my eyes and took a few steadying breaths. Gizmo laughed cruelly and my eyes snapped open. Heading straight towards me was a high powered laser beam. I attempted to summon a shield but it was too late. Bracing myself I took the full force of the bullet.

I resisted the urge to cry out; even as the pain began to impair my vision I refused to give him the satisfaction. Ashamed to say I briefly blacked out, but when I came to everything had changed.

Gizmo and the awakened Jinx and Mammoth were all on the floor clutching bleeding ears. As my hearing returned I clenched my eyes and clapped my hands over my ears, hoping to drown out the terrible screeching noise.

Just as I thought my head would explode the noise stopped. As soon as I opened my eyes I closed them again and rubbed at them roughly. No, it would seem I wasn't hallucinating. There, standing right in front of me, was a giant, _living_ teddy bear.

"Get 'em Bobby!" Melvin shouted.

_That_ was Bobby? "I thought he was imaginary." I muttered incredulously.

"Nope!" Melvin said, popping the 'p'.

I looked around wildly and noticed that Melvin had moved beside me at some point. Looking to where she had been previously I found that Bobby had subdued the now unconscious Team Hive.

"Nice work kid." I complimented lightly. Melvin looked down and smiled at me before her eyes widened in horror.

"Raven, you're hurt!" Melvin sounded close to crying, looking down I could see why.

My uniform was soaked with blood and I was laying a pool of the sticky crimson liquid. Now that the younger girl had pointed out my injuries I felt a sharp pain lance up my side. Gasping heavily, I tried to apply pressure to the wound but it had already been too long. I had lost to much too much blood.

I heard Melvin shouting for help but it sounded muffled, as if someone had stuffed my ears full of cotton. Just as the edges of my vision faded to black I saw the rest of the Titan's move into sight. I saw their panicked gazes and tried to reassure them but all that escaped my mouth was a pain filled moan. The last thing I saw was Kyd Wykkyd's worried visage hanging over me before my vision blacked out and I knew no more.

_**Authors Note: **Well that took longer than I expected... Sorry. Only one or two chapters left. Reviews are much appreciated. The next update should be a lot quicker._


	17. Ch 17 Darkness

_**Disclaimer: **_If I owned the Teen titans, chances are I wouldn't be writing fan fiction about it.

_**A Matter of Perspective  
**__Chapter Seventeen - Darkness_  
by: Eternity Bites

I could hear voices but they sounded strange, distorted, as if the sound was travelling through water. Sometimes I could break the surface long enough to decipher words but taken out of context they didn't mean anything to me.

Sometimes I'd feel actual moisture fall on my face and I would wonder if I really was underwater but the rest of my body was dry so I assumed I wasn't. It took some time for me to figure it out but when I did I was confused. Someone was crying, for me? I wanted to reach up and tell them not to waste their tears on a monster such as myself and I'd fight against the darkness, struggle to free myself from its hold.

Time passes, whether it is minutes, hours, or maybe even days I have no way of knowing. I give up, as I always do, and let myself sink back into the comforting embrace of the dark.

* * *

"I think we should pull the plug." A voice, it sounds like Cyborg's but I'm not sure.

"But why friend Cyborg? Raven is our friend; we have to believe that she will get better." This voice sounds frantic, panicked and confirms my previous guess. I assume the current speaker is Starfire.

"Starfire, Raven has been in a coma for six months. There hasn't been any change; I think we can safely assume she is not waking up." The no-nonsense tone informed me the current speaker was Robin. When it registered in my mind what he had said I was shocked. It couldn't have possibly been that long.

Then I realized that they were going to cut off my life support. My conscious mind screamed out and began grappling furiously with the hold the darkness had on me, I fought tooth and nail, but soon I found my awareness fading out.

_No!_ My mind screamed out, hoping to delay my demise. _I'm still here!_

I managed to hear one last thing before I succumbed entirely and then I was once again lost.

"Fine Kyd, we'll wait."

* * *

Eyelids fluttered gently before opening. They were shut just as quickly to protect against the blinding sunlight. Where was I? The last thing I remember was the darkness. Had I perhaps gone towards the clichéd light at the end of the tunnel?

I opened my eyes again, slowly this time so that I could adjust to the brightness. Looking around I realized where I was, the hospital bay at Titan's Tower. Now I registered a persistent beeping noise originating from my left.

Having ascertained my location I attempted to move myself into a seated position, attempted being the key word. As soon as I tried to push myself up my arms collapsed from under me. I landed back on the bed with a soft 'oof'. Sighing irritably I resigned myself to having to wait for someone to discover my return to consciousness.

Luckily I didn't have to wait long. Only a few minutes had passed when Beast boy entered the room. The doors slid open with a near silent hiss and he looked around (for what I don't care to know) before making his way over to my bed. He glanced at the monitors before turning his attention to me. Beast boy's eyes met my open ones and he looked down before his head whipped back up and he let out a startled shriek. I raised an eyebrow and gave him an unimpressed stare.

"You-you're awake!" Beast boy stuttered and I rolled my eyes.

"Thanks for stating the obvious." I said. "Now could please help me sit up?"

I felt humiliated having to ask for help but I hated the idea of looking vulnerable.

"Wha?" Was Beast Boy's articulate reply.

"I have spent a great deal of time in a coma which means my body is weak. Do you understand?" I asked as if talking to a young child.

Beast boy blushed and awkwardly moved to help me up. When I was seated and leaning against the pillows that had been propped up I cleared my throat and reluctantly thanked him. We spent the next few minutes in an uncomfortable silence. Suddenly Beast boy leapt out of his chair and smacked his forehead with his palm. I raised a brow in question and he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"I should probably go tell everyone else that you're awake." Beast boy explained sheepishly. I nodded thoughtfully and he ran off.

I shifted trying to get comfortable before letting out a small sigh. Was I ready to deal with the titan's? Was I prepared to face them after everything that happened? I didn't think so but it looked like I had no choice. After all there was no way I could escape being as weak as I was. I heard the sound of footsteps headed my way and after smoothing out the blanket nervously I squared my shoulders, trying to prepare myself. However I was totally unprepared for what happened next.

The medical bay doors slid open and a purple and orange blur flew through them before slamming into me. _What is this? _I wondered, _some kind of new attack?_ Because it certainly felt that way. The _thing_ that had attacked me was slowly and methodically breaking each of my ribs.

"FRIEND RAVEN!" The thing squealed in my ear. Oh, it was Starfire. Everything made sense now. "I AM SO RELIEVED THAT YOU ARE AWAKE!"

I tried to reply but it was all I could do to try and breathe through her crushing hold.

"Starfire let up a bit will you? You might just send Raven back into a coma." Robin informed Starfire jokingly.

Starfire gasped and quickly pulled away, looking at me worriedly. "I am truly sorry friend Raven, sometimes I am unaware of my own strength."

"It's fine." I managed to say after a minute of deep breathing.

"Raven," I turned my attention to Cyborg who was examining the machines around me. "How are you feeling? You've been asleep for a long time."

"I-I'm tired and my muscles are weak." I muttered uncomfortably.

"To be expected." Cyborg informed me.

I nodded and resisted the urge to scowl. It didn't matter if my weakness was 'to be expected' it irritated me nonetheless. I closed my eyes and centered myself before I could become even more frustrated. Feeling calmer I opened my eyes and looked at those assembled.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked referring to Kyd Wykkyd and the mini titans.

"I sent them out for ice cream. I didn't want them to get their hopes up in case Beast boy was mistaken." Robin said.

"Thanks for your confidence." Beast boy muttered.

"BB it's not you it's just..." Cyborg trailed off and shrugged uncomfortably. Robin and Starfire shifted and I felt my eyes narrow.

"It's just what?" I asked.

"Strange stuff happened while you were unconscious." Robin stated awkwardly.

"Yeah dude it was so freaky! Sometimes things would like float and shake or the room would become all dark and creepy like. You even like glowed or something a few times. It was weird." Beast boy explained excitedly waving his arms exaggeratedly.

"Glowing how?" I asked, deceptively calm even though on the inside a ball of worry had formed in the pit of my stomach.

"You had the most strange patterns on your skin and they glowed red. It was unlike any language I have ever seen." Starfire described.

I felt myself shiver and I gripped the blankets tightly. Bile rose up but I forced it back down. It seems I would never be able to escape my destiny no matter what I did. I resisted the urge to laugh bitterly but something must've shown on my face because Robin asked me if I was okay. I just nodded because I knew if I opened my mouth a hysterical sob would tear itself from my throat.

"So, how long was I out?" I asked after I had calmed down (not that they had known I was panicking).

"A little over six months, we had started to lose hope of you ever waking up." Robin informed me and I nodded. That made sense based on what I had heard.

"So Raven," Robin started but paused to cough into his fist embarrassedly. "We were wondering if-"

"You'd like to be a full-fledged member of the Teen Titans!" Beast boy shouted, interrupting Robin.

I looked at the boy wonder in surprise and he nodded, confirming what Beast boy had just said.

I closed my eyes in thought. Did I really want to be a part of the Titans again? I wasn't sure, especially since I knew now that the prophecy was likely to come true. Also how did I know I could trust them? After everything that happened they had a right to hate me, but instead here they were offering me a permanent position on the team. I couldn't help but be suspicious even though my heart longed to say yes.

"Can I have some time to think about it?" I asked tiredly, slumping against the pillows behind me.

Immediately Starfire began fussing at my show of weakness and started pushing everyone else out of the room. She insisted that 'friend Raven needs her rest in order to become better' and soon I was on my own. I sighed for about the fourth time since I awoke, it would seem I had a lot of thinking to do.

* * *

_**Authors Note: **__I know its been a while and I apologize, next chapter is already in progress and should hopefully be out in a few days. I think there is only one chapter left (unless some lightning bolt of inspiration hits me). Reviews are appreciated._


	18. Ch 18 Beginnings

_**Disclaimer: **_If I owned the Teen titans, chances are I wouldn't be writing fan fiction about it.

_**A Matter of Perspective  
**__Chapter Eighteen – Beginnings_  
by: Eternity Bites

**Last time:**  
_"So Raven," Robin started but paused to cough into his fist embarrassedly. "We were wondering if-"_

"_You'd like to be a full-fledged member of the Teen Titans!" Beast boy shouted, interrupting Robin. _

"_Can I have some time to think about it?" I asked tiredly, slumping against the pillows behind me._

_I sighed for about the fourth time since I awoke, it would seem I had a lot of thinking to do._

**Now on with the story:**

It had been a few hours since everyone had left. In that time I had gotten to think things through fairly well. I had reached a decision but there were still a few things I needed to know before I would inform the team of my choice. I had to know how Kyd really felt. Did he care about me at all? Or was he only interested in my company because I was one of the first people to acknowledge him?

I sighed; thinking of the possibilities was getting me nowhere. I needed to hear it straight from the horse's mouth or I would continue to think in circles. No one had come to see me since Starfire had shuffled everyone out of the room earlier so I could only assume that Kyd and the mini titans had yet to return or that the Titan's were withholding the information that I was awake. For what purpose I had no idea.

"_Where are you Kyd?"_ I wondered silently.

"_**I'm right here, did you want something?"**_

I started looking around the room and spotted Kyd standing in front of the now closing doors. I must have really been thinking hard to not have heard the sound of the doors sliding open. We spent the next few minutes in silence. Kyd seemed like he was trying to assess my condition with his eyes while I was inspecting the floor with intently.

"_So, what have you been up to?" _I asked in order to break the silence, wincing internally at the stupid question.

A humourless chuckle ran through my mind and I resisted the urge to flinch. Kyd sighed and rubbed his face warily.

"_**What do you want Raven? You need to tell me in plain terms because I've given up trying to figure you out. You always seem to do the exact opposite of what I expect. I thought everything was settled between us but I guess not."**_

I sighed. Based on the conversation I had heard that had made me leave Kyd didn't really care, but now he was singing a totally tune.

"_I guess were even in that regard. I don't understand you either." _I paused wondering how to word my next question. When no answer was forthcoming I went with my usual blunt manner. _"What do I mean to you Kyd? Honestly, do you care about me at all?"_

Brave seemed to have had fled at the beginning of the conversation because I couldn't bring myself to look up from the floor to try and guess what it was Kyd felt. When the silence stretched on for minutes I resisted the urge to cry or do something equally as stupid. I closed my eyes and when they reopened not a hint of emotion could be found.

"I understand." I told him. My voice sounded dead, even to myself. "I'm sorry for wasting your time."

Turning my eyes to stare out the window I waited for the telltale sound of him leaving. When I heard nothing I assumed Kyd had teleported away. Sighing heavily I turned my attention away from the window and brought my knees to my chest. I ignored the pain, caused by Starfire's earlier attack, but then there was a hand in my field of vision pushing my legs down and leaning me against the pillows. With surprised eyes I watched as Kyd gently tucked me in.

"What are you doing?" I asked softly trying not to get my hopes up.

"_**You always manage to surprise me Raven."**_ Kyd gave a humourless chuckle.

"You're not answering my question." I pointed out, both anxious for and dreading the answer.

Kyd moved to sit on the bed in front of me and gripped my hands softly. I looked up and found his staring back into mine.

"_**Raven, you are the most important person in my life. No one can compare to you. I had thought I made my feelings obvious when I left Hive Academy for you but I guess not because you left anyways."**_

I winced guiltily and shifted my eyes away from his. I should have known my leaving would come up. Gathering my strength I forced myself not to escape and continue running away from my problems.

"_I heard you and some of the titan's talking. Robin had just put me on probation because I was dangerous and then later that night I heard Cyborg and Beast boy talking about how out of control I was and how much of a danger I would be once I lost control. You were nodding your head in agreement and were going to help them in setting a trap for me. I didn't know what to do so I left."_

I looked back at Kyd after a moment of silence and found him hunched over in silent laughter. Tears were streaking down Kyd's face and he had let go of my hands in order to grip his side. I crossed my arms defensively and scowled fiercely.

"_I hardly see what is so funny."_ I muttered, annoyed and insulted, when Kyd seemed to have calmed down.

"_**We were talking about Jynx Raven, not you! Robin had seen the way she taunted you and was worried about how you would respond if you saw each other again. That's why he put you on probation; I've no idea what he told you. We only had your best interests in mind."**_ Kyd looked amused but his tone was serious. I willed down the embarrassed blush that tried to surface.

"_Now I feel foolish."_ I told him, sighing slightly.

"_**You shouldn't have acted so rashly, that is not the Raven I know."**_

"_So what now? I'm hardly an easy person to get along with and I'm not very open with my emotions." _

"_**Let's just see where this goes. Play it by ear?"**_ Kyd suggested. An idea I found myself in full support of.

"Now there is only one thing left to do." Spurred by his confused stare I continued, "I do believe that the rest of the teen titan's are going to need to know about my decision to stay with the team."

I found myself giving a Kyd a small smile and in return I was graced with a huge grin.

Perhaps things weren't perfect and I still had the prophecy to worry about but for now I would take Kyd's advice and 'play it by ear.'

_-  
**Author's Notes: **Wow, I've finally finished. It's taken me a few years and I'll admit there was a point where I completely lost interest, but I would like to thank anyone who stuck with me and all the support i've had. Thank you. ^^_


End file.
